First & Last
by m1129
Summary: Tris & Four have been friends since childhood. Despite the long distance, they remain in touch growing up. But during college, they drift apart. Now in their mid-20's, they unexpectedly bump into each other. Will they be friends again? What has happened over their years apart? They were each other's first, with many things. But who will be their last? OOC/AU (Modern Day)-RATED M/MA
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-**

**Hello again!**

**Yes, I'm back with another story!**

**This this is another present-day OOC/AU romance story based on the main characters of Divergent. Of course with the main couple being Tris and Four.**

**It's a story of how they come to know each other and how they fall in love, despite their obstacles and gaps of time between seeing each other growing up. And the curveballs that life throws at them along the way.**

**This is kind of a combo Prologue/Chapter 1 (a very long one, at over 10,000 words).  
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**It has some random time skips, as I wanted to cover some various points in their past, so we can learn a little bit about Tris and Tobias' relationship when they were younger, before we proceed with the present-day story. **

**Please be aware:**

**I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age.**

**This story is definitely Rated M (for language and sexual content).  
><strong>**Even as early as this first chapter you're about to read, it is M-rated material.  
>So consider yourself warned!<strong>

**Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, etc. that I use. This is simply my fanfiction.**

**-/-/-/-/- ****"First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

**~Tris POV~**

***July - 16 years ago***

"This house is huge." I whisper to my mom as we enter the unfamiliar house and my dad is greeted by his boss.

"Mmhmm." my mother replies quietly. "Remember to smile sweetie." she adds as a reminder, but my dad's boss is still chatting with him as we make our way through the large grand entry way.

"Who's that?" I ask in a whisper, referring to the young boy who sits in what appears to be a living room or study.

"I think that's Marcus' son, Tobias." she whispers back.

The boy, or _Tobias_ as my mother called him, appears to be a year or two older than me, and has shaggy medium brown hair. He's sitting cross legged at a coffee table, where he seems to be quietly doing his homework. He doesn't look up as we pass the room, moving towards the kitchen area.

"Pleasure to meet you Natalie. Andrew has spoken wonderful things of you." Marcus says before turning to me and shaking my hand. "And you're Bea I presume?"

I find it kind of weird for an adult to shake an 8 year olds hand. But I guess it's polite. So I smile, nod and shake his hand back. But I can't help but speak up about that annoying nickname that everyone seems to just assume is okay.

"Beatrice." I correct him softly.

"Aw yes, Beatrice then. Why don't you go join my son? He'll keep you company while us grown-ups get a drink." he says and my mom gives me a gentle nudge to go in the boys direction.

Usually I'm not too bad at striking up conversation and making quick friends. But for some reason I'm suddenly feeling shy. But as my parents and Marcus retreat towards the small wine cellar below the stairs next to the kitchen, I take a deep breath and make my way over.

As I enter, I suddenly get more nervous and begin tugging at the sleeves of my long sleeved shirt.

"Hello." I say quietly from the doorway. But I feel like I'm interrupting him.

"Hi." he says without looking up.

"Whatcha doin'?" I ask after a few more moments of silence.

He looks up then, as if he's surprised I'm still standing there.

"Finishing up math homework." he replies.

"Need any help?" I ask.

He quirks an eyebrow and I almost think I see a hint of a smirk. "Help?" he asks.

"Yeah, why not? I'm bored, and I'm pretty good at math." I say with a shrug.

"How old are you?" he asks.

"Why does that matter?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows slightly.

He chuckles lightly, which makes me scowl even more.

"Why are you laughing at me?" I ask, sitting down on the floor at the opposite side of the coffee table. I cross my arms and wait for him to answer me.

"I guess I just find it kind of funny that you want to help." he says with an amused shrug.

"Why?" I ask, not fully understanding. After all, I know I'm really good at math. I'm always getting good grades in that subject.

"Because, people don't talk to me very often. Plus, aren't you like, 7 or 8?" he asks.

I huff and roll my eyes. Many people think I'm younger than I really am because I'm 'petite' as my mom has always put it.

"I'm 8, almost 9." I reply. Then I'm curious, is he older than he looks? "How old are you?" I ask.

"9." he says.

"We'll, I could probably do 4th grade math." I say, as somewhat of a challenge. Although I'm not entirely sure what that grade of math actually entails.

He looks at me with an intrigued look, as if he's deep in thought.

"I'm sure you could. But I just finished it all up." he says with a small smile while holding up his paper to show me. "So how about we go play my N64 instead?" he offers with a hopeful look.

I can't help but smile at his suggestion. I'm not only excited that we get to play video games, but also because maybe he's not mean after all, and I like the prospect of a new friend.

As he leads me upstairs, I decide to try and learn more about him.

"Um, so what's your name?" I ask. But after the question leaves my lips, I feel stupid. I already know his name! But I guess maybe he doesn't know that I know it?

"Tobias." he tells me with a knowing smirk. "You're Bea, right?

"Beatrice." I correct, probably sounding harsher than I should.

"Sorry, I thought I heard my dad call you Bea." he replies, stealing a glance at me as we go into his bedroom.

"He did. But I corrected him." I say, sitting on the floor next to him, our backs leaning against the bed.

"You don't like nicknames?" he asks as he begins plugging the controllers into the game system.

"Well, that's the only one I've heard. And I don't really like it, I don't know why. What else would I go by anyway?"

He looks at me and seems to ponder this for a few long moments.

"Tris." he suggests and my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You could just be, _Tris_." he repeats, seemingly feeling how the name rolls off his tongue.

A smile quickly takes over my face. I actually kind of love it. _Tris_. I feel like it fits me.

"Yeah, Tris." I say out loud for the first time. "I like it." I reply, and for the first time, I see Tobias fully smile. It involuntarily makes me smile bigger.

We end up playing video games for only a short while before we're called down for dinner. Our parents continue chatting about boring work stuff, as Tobias secretly flings a pea at me.

My first instinct was to scowl and be annoyed at him, like I would my older brother Caleb if he were to do it. But when I look at him, he has a mischievous and contagious smile on his face, and his golden brown hair is so shaggy and messy, it looks silly. So instead, I wait for a good opportunity when our parents aren't looking, and fling a pea back.

We secretly keep this up, between having a staring contest. Which fails on both our parts when we end up making funny faces and bursting into a fit of giggles.

-/-/-/-

***July - 12 years ago***

"Alright everyone, look at your sheets to see what group you're in. Then go look for the table that has a sign with your group name. The camp leaders will sign you in and direct you to your cabin." The woman says loudly as I stand on the lawn of the summer camp my parents just dropped me off at.

I was both excited and nervous to go to camp. My parents had insisted it would be a good experience, and said that if I really hated it, I could call them and they'd drive back out and pick me up.

I look down at the sheet that I hold in one hand, my other hand occupied by holding my large duffel bag. It says I'm in group '6', so I search for that sign-in table.

After checking the first several tables lined up, I still don't see it. You'd think they'd be arranged in order, but they're not. So just as turn to check the last few tables behind me, I bump into someone. When I look up, I feel like I recognize this person, but I'm not sure. But I can't deny it's definitely those deep blue eyes that seem so familiar. Plus, the golden brown hair and the slight upturn of one side of his mouth as he says "Tris?"

It is him. _Tobias_. And he remembers me too? It's been like, what- 4 years since I saw him last? I was only 8 years old!

We had first met at his house for dinner when his father invited my family over. We had played together quite often that summer, whenever our dads had to work on their big work project. We had got along great, playing video games, board games, hide and seek. We even drew up plans for a treehouse. We had felt quite at ease with each other right away. But by the end of the summer, my dad and his father had a falling out. I don't know the details, but from what I heard, my dad didn't like some of the stuff he found out Marcus was doing through work. So he quit and we moved to Milwaukee where my dad was offered a position with a new company. So for the past four years, we no longer lived in Chicago, unfortunately. And therefore, I haven't seen Tobias since.

Milwaukee isn't too bad, or at least not as bad as I had thought it would be. But it still didn't feel like home. I missed Chicago. That's actually one of the reasons I agreed to come to this summer camp, it was just outside my favorite city. And now to see he's here too, it makes it even more appealing.

"Tobias?" I finally reply in question once I shake my head and come to my senses.

He then smiles fully at my recognition, as if he's genuinely happy to see me.

"Long time no see." he says and I smile back.

"I know, right? So I guess you're going here to Camp Dauntless too?" I ask, in hopes of making small talk to avoid any awkward silence.

"Yep, my dad forced me to go here last summer, but it turned out to be pretty fun. So I happily came back this year."

"That's cool. I was kind of nervous to come. But I guess if you like it, I probably will too." I say.

"I'll help make sure you have fun." he says as he guides us more towards the other sign-in tables. "What group you in?" he asks.

"Six." I say.

"Me too." he replies and I have to hold back my grin.

We wait in the small line to check-in and begin to talk about all the fun activities they do here. He tells me a few silly stories from last year and it makes me laugh.

I can't decide if I'm surprised or not, at how quickly we pick back up as being friends. You'd think it wouldn't be this easy after all this time we haven't seen each other or kept in touch. But we've always had a good comfortable vibe between us.

After we check-in, we find out we're in the same building, but it's split into two halves. One side is for the boys and one for the girls. We have an hour to unpack and get settled into our new rooms before lunch. So we separate ways, but agree to meet up to eat together, so that he can introduce me to his friends.

I find my room and it's kind of how I expected- simple. It has wood paneling on the walls, giving it a cabin-like feel, and has 4 bunks, 4 small dressers and a single window.

Only one girl is in here so far and as I make my way in. She's small like me and has short dark hair. I see she's unpacking and getting settled on a top bunk.

"Hey, I'm Christina." she says and smiles brightly at me.

"Hi, I'm Tris." I reply, and I realize I'm standing there kind of awkwardly with my duffle bag.

"I'm the first one here, so I claimed this bed. You can claim any of the others. But we should totally be bunk mates, it'll be easier to become friends." she says, still with that big friendly smile. But now she's back to occupying herself with setting a few belongings in a small shelf above her top bunk.

"Sounds good, thanks." I say and toss my bag on the bunk below hers. I look around and notice that the people with bottom bunks don't have a shelf like Christina does, but we have a small chest located at the bottom of the bed. So I unload my clothes in the nearby dresser, set my toiletries on top, then take my more personal stuff- like my books, sketchpad and tuck them under my blanket and slippers in the chest.

As we do this, Christina and I chat and get to know each other a bit. Turns out it's her first time here to this camp as well, as she's new to Illinois. Her parents thought this would be a good opportunity to make some friends in the Chicago area of which they recently moved to from Boston.

But because I no longer live in the same city, she and I probably won't really be able to be friends. Which stinks, because I see that we easily could be, despite her somewhat loud and obnoxious behavior. She's got a sweet side and I appreciate her honesty. Plus, she's good at making me laugh, and I love to laugh.

I really wish we could move back to Chicago.

As we approach the cafeteria, I tell her how I bumped into someone I know, and told him I'd meet him just outside. But I let her know she can come too.

When we round the corner, I see Tobias leaning against the wall next to the door. He sends me that cute smile when he sees me and I smile back.

Wait, when did I decide he had a cute smile?

I try to hide my blush and turn to Christina.

"Christina, this is Tobias." I tell her, gesturing to him with my hand.

"Hi." she says with kindly, obviously better at being outgoing and friendly than I've ever been.

"She's my bunk mate." I tell him and he nods.

"Cool, I-" Tobias starts, but is interrupted when a boy comes barreling over, practically knocking Tobias over as he yanks on him to make him follow him into the cafeteria.

"Zeke!" Tobias scolds, but laughs at him.

"C'mon, all the good food is going to be gone. I think Sue made her famous mac and cheese today!" the boy Zeke explains as he tugs roughly on Tobias' arm to make him follow him. Tobias doesn't resist, just lets out a small laugh again. But as he is pulled along after him, Tobias grabs my hand and tugs me along too. I grab Christina's hand with my free one and she giggles along with me as we're pulled like a chain into the large building.

We get into the quickly growing lunch line and that's when we let each other go.

"So, this is my ridiculous friend Zeke." Tobias explains once we've contained our breathing and small fit of laughter from our silly entrance.

"Hello girls." Zeke says in a British accent, causing me to chuckle as I roll my eyes at him.

"This is Tris and Christina." Tobias tells his friend.

"Good to meet you, let's all be great friends. But first, let's get some grub. I'm starving!" he says hurriedly with a big goofy smile.

-/-/-/-

Over these past 8 weeks, the four of us became pretty close. We've actually been pretty inseparable, doing whatever activities we can together. Not only has it been awesome rekindling my friendship with Tobias, but I gained a few other great friends in the process.

Summer camp has been so much better than I expected, and now I'm truly disappointed that we all go home tomorrow.

It's currently after curfew, which is 8pm, when all kids are required to be back in their rooms for the night. I promised Tobias I'd '_go to the bathroom_' around 9 o'clock, but really would sneak out and meet him by the reservoir. He requested I do so, as it's our last night here together.

So here I sit on the dock, in my pajama shorts and a sweatshirt, dangling my feet in the water.

Without even realizing it, I begin singing softly. It's so peaceful and calm out here. Although it's dark, the moon shines down and reflects upon the water, making it to where I can make out my surroundings. However, even in the quiet still surroundings, I don't hear Tobias approach.

"You have a nice voice." he says, startling me.

"You butthead, you scared me!" I say, playfully swatting his leg from where he now stands next to me.

He just laughs and sits beside me. "You shouldn't call me names, I was only complimenting you." he says with a smirk.

"Right." I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"I'm serious, you have a really nice voice. You should sing more often." he says as begins to dip his feet in the water too.

"Well, fat chance of that. I don't like to sing in front of people. You just happened to stumble upon that." I say, hoping my blush isn't noticeable.

"You mean you'll never sing to me again? C'mon, it's just me." he says, nudging me with his elbow.

"Nope." I reply, popping the 'p'.

"I'll get you to sing again for me one day, you'll see." he says.

"Well you're confident."

"Determined." he corrects.

"And stubborn." I add, and we let out a small laugh. But then I sigh.

"Are you coming to camp next year?" I ask, sad to have to say goodbye to him.

"Yeah, I think so. What about you? You should too. We could hang out all summer again."

-/-/-/-

***August - 9 years ago***

"You know what, screw it, there are going to be 197 cupcakes." Tobias says as he snatches one of the chocolate cupcakes from the tray and begins to peel off the paper to eat it.

"Tobias!" I scold, but I'm laughing at his mock sneaky behavior.

We have been put in charge of dessert for the end of summer party that happens tonight. Christina and a girl named Monica had been assigned to help.

They had started to help out, but about 50 cupcakes in, they realized I was doing most of the work anyway since apparently I'm the only one with actual baking skills. So they ended up leaving early to go get ready for the party.

Tobias holds a finger to his lips to shush me. "Nobody will notice." he whispers.

"That's your third one!" And I laugh more at his shrug and signature smirk.

"C'mon, I'm the official taste tester. Can't feed a bunch of kids these cupcakes if they're no good. Plus, they always have leftovers." he says.

"Well, what's the verdict then? I assume they meet your standards if you're on your third one?" I tease, knowing damn well that I make a good cupcake.

"Best I have ever had. Seriously, Tris." he says as he finishes it off. I swear he must have only eaten it in two or three bites.

Then he is licking his thumb that had some remaining frosting on it. My eyes move to his lips and I instinctually lick mine.

It wouldn't be the first time this summer that I've caught myself looking at his features like that. I guess it's probably because I'm noticing certain changes developing in my friend.

Each summer that we see each other here at camp, he gets a bit taller, his shoulders a bit broader, his voice a bit deeper. I guess that's expected when boys go through their teens.

But I also notice other certain little things, like his slightly more defined jaw, the bit of stubble on his face, which I assume shows up if he doesn't shave for a couple days? Does he shave already? I don't know when boys start that. Then there are the way his eyes smile, and how his smile is utterly contagious to me. Plus, he just gets more and more funny, smart, and intriguing.

When I realize I'm staring, I clear my throat and turn back to decorating the last few cupcakes, relieved to have something else to focus on and hopefully by turning away, he won't notice the red tint to my cheeks that I'm sure is there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him begin to clean up the rest of the kitchen.

Although this is the fourth year we've spent together at summer camp, this is our first year as camp junior-leaders. Once you hit 15-16 years old, that's what you lead up to if you want to attend Camp Dauntless.

Although it's extra work as a junior-leader, rather than just a camper, it's still a lot of fun. Plus, neither of us were about to turn down an opportunity of going to summer camp, considering we still live in different states. So it's the only time we get to see each other. 8 weeks per year.

But unfortunately since Tobias' parent's divorce is finalized, he and his dad are moving to California. He wanted to stay in Chicago with his mom and younger sister, but in the divorce settlement, his dad got Tobias in the deal. So he won't be able to attend camp next year.

I haven't decided if I'll come back. I know I'd probably still have fun. He's not the _only_ reason I come back each year. But it wouldn't be the same without him.

"That's the last one." I announce once I place the last cupcake on the platter.

"They look great. You're awesome." he says, taking in the sight of them all.

"You're messy." I tease, reaching out to wipe the small smear of frosting on his cheek. Before I realize what I'm doing, I bring my finger to my mouth and suck the remnants of the frosting off it.

Even though my tongue got nowhere near him directly, it still felt oddly intimate and I'm instantly embarrassed and flush with heat again. So I do my best to act like nothing happened and pick up one of the many trays lined with cupcakes.

"Help carry them over to the pavilion?"

"Of course." he replies, seemingly shy and slightly awkward.

I guess my little frosting fiasco didn't go unnoticed. Great, the last night at camp, last night seeing Tobias, and it's going to be awkward. Well, if he's living in California and I'm in Wisconsin, I probably won't ever see him again anyway.

I sigh and continue on my way out of the kitchen and towards the pavilion where the party is to start in 2 hours.

After a few trips and gathering help from Zeke, we get all the cupcakes lined up on the assigned tables.

Once that's done, we go our separate ways to clean up and change before going back to the party. I'm happy to get out of my frosting covered hoodie.

On my way towards the girl's cabins, my mind is racing a mile a minute.

Was Christina right? Do I have a crush on Tobias Eaton? I don't know what's up with me this summer. But, things feel...different. But, _good_ different. I don't know what this all means. I don't know exactly how I feel about him. But I do know that it doesn't matter, because tonight's our last night together.

As promised, I show up to our bunk room by 5pm and allow Christina to help me get ready.

Much to her dismay, she's not able to get me in one of her tiny, more revealing dresses. But I do put on the more tasteful yellow dress I brought. And I let her curl my hair and apply some makeup.

Once we all arrive, all of the junior leaders gather around to run the various game booths that they've set up, as well as making sure that the tables of food and drinks stays stocked.

Just as I set out more plastic cups, I feel someone walking towards me. I look up to see Tobias and when he gets a full look at me, he looks slightly surprised. I guess maybe it's because I'm not in an old camp t-shirt and my hair isn't in a ponytail or messy bun.

"Hey Tris." he says shyly.

"Hi." I reply, feeling shyer by the moment as well. "What area are you assigned to run tonight?"

"I um, I'm supposed to run the knife throwing station over there."

"Not surprised." I say with a smile. He's known to be a talented knife thrower and helped teach it over the summer. As I had done with the baking. But that doesn't mean I wasn't a pretty good knife thrower too. Tobias taught me well.

"Do you, uh, do you want to meet at the reservoir after the party?" he asks, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Is he nervous?

"Sure, the usual time and place?" I ask.

He nods in response just before one of the leaders, Amar, comes by and pulls Tobias along with him, saying all the kids will be arriving any minute.

-/-/-/-

The party goes well. Although it's the first one we attend where we're not really able to hang out with each other.

It ends up wrapping up just at curfew time. So Christina and I head back to our bunks. But instead of getting in our pajamas and going to bed, we stay up and just have girl talk. After all, it's the last I may see her too.

Around 9 o'clock, I tell her I'm going to the bathroom. She just gives me a knowing smile.

"What?" I ask.

"I know you're off to meet Tobias at the reservoir." she says. "Like you do the last night here every summer."

I smile and look down at my shoes.

"Fine, I am. You won't tell anyone, right?" I plead.

"Of course not. You know I wouldn't stand in the way of young love." she says holding up her pillow, as if assuming I am going to retaliate to the comment physically.

"I told you, I don't have a crush on him!" I say, but the small smile that dawns my face as I say it, makes it all the less convincing.

"Whatever you say. But just remember, it's okay to let yourself have crushes. You're 15 years old after all." she says as if having to constantly remind me.

"Goodnight Christina." I say with a shake of my head.

I sneak out and head in the direction of our meeting place.

When I arrive, he's already there, sitting at the edge of the dock, feet dangling in the water.

I sit beside him and slowly dip my feet into the cold water as well. It ripples slightly and I admire how the moon reflects off the water.

We're quiet at first. Just sitting side by side in companionable silence. It's still comforting sitting here like this since it's Tobias at my side. I've always felt safe and at home around him. But tonight, there is an extra amount of sadness is in the air.

I can't help but feel upset about our circumstances. Honestly, I'm feeling so many emotions right now, that it's a bit overwhelming. Eventually I decide I'm sad because it's fate saying we're not meant to remain friends, or at least not during this time in our life. So I can only hope he doesn't forget about me. But I wouldn't blame him if he did. He's an incredible guy, and he has his whole life before him. I'm just the girl he hangs out with during the summer.

"Promise you won't forget me." I blurt out after a few minutes. "Just...remember our time together. We made good memories, right?" I ask, my lip quivering slightly.

He pulls his gaze from the water to look at me. I feel vulnerable as I'm unable to read his reaction, so many emotions crossing his face.

He pauses, looking down at his hands, then back up to me. Staring straight into my eyes.

"Tris, you didn't just come into my life, you became a part of it."

At his words, I immediately feel a lump in my throat, and I have to will myself not to cry.

I'm still speechless a moment later when he decides to continue.

"I don't know what our future holds, but I'll _never_ forget about you."

I simply nod and swallow thickly again.

"Do you believe me?" he asks.

I shrug with a sad smile, giving him a weak nod. He seems so genuine it's hard not to believe him. But we're only 15. A lot could happen in our future.

"Have you ever been kissed?" he asks.

This takes me off guard and I look at him in surprise. I almost start to randomly choke when grasping for air to breathe, but I recover quickly.

"What?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"Have you ever been kissed?" he repeats, a small shy smile playing at his lips.

My cheeks tint pink for about the 100th time this summer as I shake my head no in answer to his surprising question.

"Well, neither have I. So how about we be each other's first kiss? Then you'll never be able to doubt that I could forget you. And then I know you won't forget about me either. Because nobody forgets their first kiss." he explains.

"You want me to be your first kiss?" I ask, still surprised at his proposition.

"Yeah, I couldn't think of anyone better." he says shyly. "But I understand if you don't want me to be yours." he adds, sounding less confident and even more nervous now. He looks back down at his lap while biting his lip.

"Tobias, I would really like for you to be my first kiss too." I say, having a sudden boost of bravery as I lay my hand across his where it is holding onto the edge of the worn wooden dock. My heart begins to thud in my chest and my mouth is suddenly completely dry. But still, I can't think of anything I'd rather do than kiss him right now.

He turns to me, looks over my face for a couple seconds, then we both start to lean in.

My eyes instinctively close as we inch towards one another.

Our foreheads bump together at first, but we don't acknowledge it besides a short chuckle, which subsides as we both tilt our heads slightly to press our lips together more solidly. The instant his soft firm lips press to mine, I forget all the sadness and doubt, and just focus on the wonderful sensation my mouth is fortunate enough to be receiving.

I had no idea how good it would be. Is this what kissing always feels like? Or is it just because this is Tobias?

I can't believe I'll never see him again.

After we pull away, we both smile shyly at each other. I can't help but bite my lip, while attempting to get my heart rate back to normal.

I see him swallow thickly and fidget with the hem of his shorts.

"I don't think I'll be forgetting that." he admits shyly.

"Me either." I reply, smiling down at my lap.

"Here, I brought a pen. Write your address down on my hand. My dad probably won't let me make many long distance phone calls. So we'll have to write to each other." he says.

I smile and blink back my tears as he hands the pen over. I take it as I jot down my address on the back of his left hand.

"I'd give you mine too, but I don't know what the new one is yet. I'll write to you as soon as I get settled there though, I promise." he says and I realize I'm still holding his hand.

We stay like that for a little while, before we know it's time to head inside. They'll be doing room checks soon.

But before we part ways, he gives me a long lingering hug. And at the last moment, I steal one more quick kiss before turning away.

I glance over my shoulder one more time before opening the door and he's still standing there smiling. I give him a small wave, and he returns it, before we head into our own rooms.

-/-/-/-/-

***June - 7 years ago***

After arriving home from school, I head straight to the mailbox. Just like I do every day.

But I grin as I pull out the stack of mail and immediately spotting an envelope with familiar writing on it. The writing addressed to me.

I make my way inside my house and set the remaining pile of mail on the kitchen counter, before quickly making my way upstairs to my room. Where I plop down onto my window seat and bite my lip as I eagerly tear into the letter.

Not only does the letter update me on his life in California and all that's happened since I heard from him a couple weeks ago, but it also tells me he will be in town to visit soon. And he will be here for at least 3-4 days. Which makes my heart sky rocket at the thought of actually seeing him after all this time.

True to his word, as soon as Tobias had settled in California, he sent me his first letter.

And we've been corresponding back and forth via old fashioned mail ever since. Which means it's been almost two years. We don't usually go more than a couple weeks between letters. But as his first year of college comes to an end, along with my senior year of high school, it's been tougher to stay on top of our routine.

Amongst this time, he and I have still remained great friends. If anything, getting to know each other even better despite the 1700 mile distance between us.

He and I haven't really ever mentioned our kiss. And we don't really talk about relationships. I guess if he were to have a girlfriend, he probably would have mentioned it. But sometimes I wonder if that's true. Even though we're close...what if that's just an area he prefers to keep private?

Not that it would matter. He has every right to date or whatever. He and I are just friends, and live on opposite sides of the country. But I guess Christina is partially right, something in the back of my brain tinges with a spark of jealousy at the thought.

But I guess when you have a young crush, it never 100% goes away. And I can't help but have occasionally wondered what kind of experiences he's having out there in California besides the ones he writes about. Of course my exaggerated teenage mind just pictures a bunch of pretty California blondes and the cheerleaders cheering him on in short skirts at his football games before they all go off to party together.

But once again, I don't let my brain divulge too much into those thoughts. If he wishes to keep that bit of his life private, I'll respect that. Even if I am feeling emotions and feelings I'm not really familiar with, I ultimately just want him to be happy.

When I stare down at this letter, I realize how fortunate I've been to have kept up this friendship with him. How many guys can you imagine making the effort to hand write and mail letters almost every weekend? I shouldn't even be considering the thought of something more between us being a possibility, I know our situations. He goes to UCSC, and I'm going to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. Nowhere near each other. Plus, a friendship with him is better than nothing. He's one of my best friends, and I don't want to ruin what we have. I'm already worried we'll lose touch.

I re-read the paper in my hands and admire the silly picture he drew at the bottom, like he always does, as if it's part of his signature. And I grin to myself.

I get to see Tobias. _Finally_.

-/-/-/-

***A couple weeks later***

Just as I turnout my bedroom light and flick on my bedside lamp so that I can read until I fall asleep, I hear rustling outside the window.

It startles me at first, especially considering I'm home alone. But then I realize who's making those noises. I should have known. He's done this every night he's been here.

"I can't believe you're sneaking in here again. What if my dad catches you?" I ask Tobias as he gently closes my bedroom window behind him.

Even though we had just innocently snuggled under the covers as we watched back-to-back episodes of Arrested Development, I don't think my dad would have been very happy if he caught my 18 year old male-friend cuddled in bed with me at midnight, even if he does genuinely like Tobias.

"He won't know. I didn't make the dog bark this time." he whispers to me with a goofy smile as he plops onto my bed next to me where I sit cross legged in my pajamas.

"Yeah well, I guess it's also a good thing he and my mom are at some work gala out of town and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon." I tell him and I realize it kind of sounded suggestive. I don't say anything else, not wanting to further embarrass myself. But I feel my cheeks grow warm.

"Even better. Now we can be as loud as we want." he replies while tackling me playfully, tickling my sides, knowing I can't take being tickled like that.

After a few minutes, through much maneuvering, I finally wriggle out from under him. Just as our laughter begins to subside, I realize I have somehow made my way _on top_ of him. We're flush against each other, our faces just inches apart as my hands attempt to hold his arms above his head so that they're not within reach of my ticklish sides. As we catch our breath, we hold each other's gaze, and I swear his eyes seem to darken to the deepest shade of blue I've ever seen them.

It feels like time slows down as we hold our stare.

I try to fight the thoughts that I admit occasionally invade my mind late at night.

The thoughts of what it would be like to kiss him again, what he would look like with his shirt off, what his chest and arms would feel like beneath my hands, what he looked like below the belt...what it would feel like for him to take my virginity...

I suddenly come back to reality and go flush with embarrassment at my dirty thoughts. And remembering our current position, I bolt up, distancing my face from his.

But I obviously hadn't thought that through completely, as I'm now essentially straddling him, my knees on either side of his hips. And I _feel it._

I swallow thickly as I realize he's hard beneath me. Right beneath where I seem to crave friction. The part that seems to be radiating heat, and feels so good pressed against him, that I can't control the noise that escapes my mouth as I feel it twitch in his pants.

If it weren't for the barriers of his jeans and my flannel pajama pants, I'm sure he would feel the moisture gathering in my underwear.

At my noise, he sits up, coming face to face with me again. He looks at me nervously as begins to explain.

"I-I'm sorry. I can't help it." he says, looking over my face apprehensively.

"It's okay, I understand." I say with a small shy smile. "I guess I'll take it as a compliment? Or simply that you're a teenage guy having the expected reaction to a girl straddling your lap?"

He chuckles softly and looks back up to my eyes, seemingly a bit more at ease from my words.

"Definitely take it as a compliment. And I don't just have _any_ girl straddling my lap right now." he clarifies with a sweet smile.

His response catches me off guard, but yet again, I blush at his words.

"Tobias..." I admonish, not knowing how to reply to that.

"Can I be honest with you?" he asks.

"Of course." I say without missing a beat. But my heart pounds in my chest.

"I...I like you. A lot. I have for a long time. You have an effect on me..." he admits, cutting himself off there.

"What?" I balk.

And that's when I notice his cheeks tint pink too. And it's so endearing and adorable and sexy, that I start grinning like an idiot.

"Hardy har har." he says, as if my goofy smile is mocking him. "Tease me all you want. It's still the truth."

"I'm not teasing you...I just...you're so sweet." I say, my nerves coming back slightly now that I'm talking. "And that's really flattering for you to say. I'd...say the feeling is mutual." I add carefully.

That damn smile of his. The way his eyes smile first, then the sides of his mouth follow. I swear one day he's going to get me off just by looking at me like that.

I lean in, slowly at first, eyes darting between his eyes to his lips, still somewhat unsure of this. But then once I'm a few inches from him, my bravery takes over and I crash my lips to his.

His lips are even better than I remember.

I try not to think about how he may have gotten practice back in California. Instead, I just focus on how he tastes and feels as our tongues caress one another. And the effect he has on me.

After a few moments, I feel his hands trail up my arms, before one arm goes around the small of my waist to hold me close. His other hand lingers still, but as I notice it inch closer to my boob, I arch my back, pressing it firmly in his hand.

He groans at my action, only taking a couple of seconds before he begins massaging my breast through the plaid flannel material of my button down long sleeved pajama top.

He seems surprised, but pleased at the fact that I'm not wearing a bra. I was getting ready for bed after all.

As he caresses it more boldly, I instinctively roll my hips against him. The movement causing us both to let out a throaty noise as we pull away from our kiss and press our foreheads together.

"Fuck Tris, if you don't stop doing that-" he tries to warn, but it just boosts my confidence and desire for him.

"Remember how you were my first kiss?" I ask.

"We were each other's first." he corrects with a smile, placing a few light kisses on my neck.

"What if..." I begin, but I don't know if I can get the words out. Am I really about to suggest this?

"Have sex with me?" I blurt out. I clap my hand over my mouth, surprised at my straightforward request. I cover my face with my hands for a moment to regain my thoughts on how to re-word that. "I mean, I've never..." I say, slowly peeling my fingers away from my eyes to steal a glance at him, only to find him watching me in wonder, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

"Tobias, how...would you feel about being my first at that too?" I ask softly.

His eyes are still wide in surprise when he replies. "I think you know how I feel about that idea." he says, rolling his hips back against me, similar to how I had done a few minutes ago.

With the movement, I get an even more thrilling sensation at the feel of his erection pressing against me. "But, Tris...are you sure? That's not something you can take back." he says.

"Trust me, I've thought about it before. I just never thought I'd have the guts to actually suggest it." I say and he smiles sweetly at me. "I know we have lives in opposite sides of the country, and we're both getting even busier...but I really can't imagine my first time being with anyone else." I explain, hoping he understands I don't just want to use him.

I want us to share this experience together. Especially since it'll probably be my only chance to be with him like this.

By the way he looks back at me after that little rant of an explanation, he seems to have made his decision.

He begins to kiss me again, fast and determined. His sweet soft lips melding with mine for a few long moments before I feel the wetness of his tongue seeking mine out.

As he continues his kisses down my neck and to my collar bone, he leans forward and begins to gently lay me on my back.

Once my back presses against the comforter of my bed, he reaches for the waistband of my pajama bottoms and slowly drags them down my legs, leaving my lower half in just my simple white cotton underwear. I'm glad I remembered to shave when I showered this evening.

He begins to kiss me again as his hands roam to my top, undoing each button until my I feel the cool air against my nipples.

He pulls back slightly and looks down at me adoringly. I lift up to remove my top completely and toss it aside. Then I reach for his and help him remove it before flopping back down onto my back.

He looks down at me with lust filled eyes, his breath quickening like mine.

"It's my first time too." he says, "And I couldn't imagine it being with anyone else either."

I can't help bite my lip and smile at his words. It makes my heart swell with love and excitement that we'll share this together.

"You are so beautiful." he adds and leans in for another sweet kiss.

Eventually his hand reaches down to touch me outside underwear, running his long fingers up and down. I let out what I can only describe as a whimper and I feel him smile.

I try not to make any more noises, too embarrassed at what I probably sound like. And trying not to focus on how self-conscious I am at the feel of how wet I am. But I can't help the mewl of pleasure that escapes my mouth as he slips his hand beneath the cotton and his long rough fingers find my bare folds.

"Wow..." I hear him say under his breath, as if he's in awe at the feel of me.

The rawness of that single word, making me feel sexier than I've ever felt.

I lift my hips and reach down to slowly push off my underwear as he watches me unabashedly.

"You have to get naked too ya know." I say, feeling somewhat vulnerable by how much more exposed I am than he is.

"Don't worry, I will. But I have a feeling I uh..I won't last long. So I'd like to do something first, if it's okay with you." he suggests, looking down at me with an adorably hopeful look.

"Okay." I agree, trusting him completely. I always have.

He smiles in appreciation before giving me a quick kiss on the lips. Then he scoots back and lays on his stomach before me, his face level with the apex of my thighs. Of which he takes in each of his hands to spread my legs. He looks down at me there, with a look of hunger and need, and it somehow puts me more at ease. Despite my pounding heart and sweaty palms, he makes me feel desirable and comfortable with him.

Then his mouth his on me. Kissing my inner thighs gently at first, then moving his way up.

He moans as his kisses align with the point where I need him most.

Then his tongue begins to paint designs all over my flesh, luring me to that ethereal summit somewhere beyond my tangible grasp.

My climax hits me quicker than I expect, and before I know it, I feel my body pulsing in pleasure against his hands and mouth.

After I come down from that ultimate high, he makes his way up so that we're face to face again, and smiles down at me adoringly again.

"That was amazing." he says, his voice coming out even deeper than usual.

I immediate snort and laugh. "That's an understatement." I reply, voice thick with exhaustion from what he just put my body through.

He smiles and I begin to unbutton his pants. He doesn't stop me as I push them off his hips, boxers going down along with them.

A subconsciously intake a gasp of air as I take in the view of him.

I've never seen a penis in real life before, but I can't help but completely admire it. It stands tall, hard and ready. A moisture glistening at the tip, making it all the more enticing to touch. It's...breathtaking.

It's bigger than I imagined, so a part of me is nervous it will hurt. How the hell is that supposed to fit?

But as his kisses continue on my neck, and the more I anticipate what comes next, the more excited and eager I get.

He gets up from the bed briefly to retrieve the condom he says he keeps with him 'just in case'.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I want you to be 100% sure." he says.

"I'm very sure of this. I promise. As long as you really want this too." I tell him honestly, with an encouraging smile.

Which he returns as he hovers over me, our most private of areas coming within inches of each other. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, until he brushes against my opening.

"Promise you'll tell me if you want me to stop." he whispers, waiting to continue until I agree to that request.

"Of course." I reply, turning to kiss the skin of his forearm that is braced next to my head.

He then leans down to capture my lips with his as he slowly pushes into me.

But both of our mouths go slack once he's sheathed completely. The sensations almost too overwhelming for either of us.

His head hangs in the crook of my neck and I can tell he's giving me a moment to adjust, which I'm thankful for, as there is definitely some pain from being stretched in such a way. But it was expected, and after a few long moments, it becomes much more tolerable.

I flex my hips slightly to implicate he's good to move, having a feeling that it will help.  
>He gets the message, and begins to rock back and forth, slowly sliding in and out. As he does so, the dull pain is pushed aside and my brain focuses on how truly incredible it feels. The physical feeling of his movements, the weight of him above me, moving against me in such an affectionate and loving way.<p>

I can't imagine anyone else in the whole world having the ability to affect me like this. To deliver me to this foreign, sweet rapture. Something so intimate, so real, so magical.

As we look into each other's eyes and he gets into a slightly faster rhythm, I feel the tingling sensations begin to build up in me all over again. I wasn't really anticipating for it to happen a second time, but my body is reacting quickly to his, and I know I'm close again.

It's not long before his hips jerk a little more sporadically, as if he's losing control.

"Tris...I'm gonna-" but before he can finish his sentence, I feel him pump in a few last times, slightly harder than before, and then his body shutters against mine. The combination of the way he groans in pleasure and muffles my name, and the feel of him pulsing and releasing into the condom, pushes me over the edge again.

He collapses on me momentarily, breathing heavily against the skin of my chest.

"Wow..." he says under his breath, just like he said earlier.

"Wow..." I repeat under my breath too, but knowing it's loud enough for him to hear.

After we're cleaned up and snuggled back in my bed, with me tucked into his side and his arm around me, we lay with our eyes closed. But I know he's still awake like me, not quite ready for this night to be over with. We both know this is one of our last night's together before he goes back to California. We both have a lot of feelings swirling around, and I know we're both thinking about how much we're going to miss one another. But we don't need those words. Nor can we get ourselves to say them.

It never gets easier saying goodbye to him. In fact, it gets harder every time I find myself having to do it.

So we just lay there, enjoying each other's embrace and the contended silence that fills the room.

Until, just as I think he's about to fall asleep, he tilts his head slightly so that his lips are against my ear.

"I just want you to know...I love you." he says. "No matter what, I always will."

"I love you too. Always." I reply.

And it's true.

Sure, I have no idea what our future holds. Or if I'll ever get to see him again. But I know the love I feel for him is real and strong, and could never go away.

I can only wish him the best, to hope he has a wonderful and happy future ahead of him. And that maybe, one day, I'll be a part of it again.

-/-/-/-

***September - 7 years later* (Present Day)**

I slide the tray of croissants into the glass display case, before standing back to appraise my selection of goods for the day.

Before opening my shop, _Sweet Pea Bakery_, I hadn't anticipated it doing quite so well. It started out kind of slow those first couple of weeks, but word started to spread about my place and it picked up quickly. Now business is thriving and I have a staff of 10 people, including myself. They mainly run the front end or help do dishes, since I was becoming much too busy with the cake orders coming in each day.

I'm thankful that Christina helped me get this place started. After hinting that she has a business degree and could be of great assistance, I happily offered her the role of Manager. She was excited to accept, and has been doing great at her job ever since. Now we've been open almost a year, business is still doing great, and our crew here feels like a happy little family.

Just as I'm trying to decide if I should make another batch of orange cranberry scones, I hear the jingling bell on the front door. I turn to see the adorable smile of 4-year old Jack as he bounds through the door. His brown hair mussed, and as usual, he has an action figure in hand.

Jack is one of my favorite little customers. He's been coming here with his Aunt Julia for the last several months. They usually stop by a couple times a week for a treat, his favorite being the various assortment of cookies to pick from.

It started out as a quick visit to get what they wanted, then they'd be on their way. But as time went on, they became 'regulars', and our conversations grew, and they'd often linger and hang out at one of the tables to have some hot chocolate. Over time, I'd say Julia and Jack had become friends of mine, rather than just customers or acquaintances. Although I hadn't known them all that long, Julia was naturally outgoing and friendly, and something has always seemed so familiar and comforting about her.

And Jack- well, he just brightens my day every time he sets step in my bakery. Always cheerful and adorable, always making me laugh. And he always seemed to enjoy my company too, which made my heart swell. I felt honored to be so well-liked by this young boy.

I've come to the conclusion that I probably won't ever have kids, since I'm no good at the relationships. But underneath, I know in my heart that I really wish that I'd have that opportunity to have children one day. And that if mine turn out to even be half as sweet and wonderful as Jack, I'll be happy.

"Hi Sweet Pea!" he exclaims excitedly, running to hug my legs from where I stand on his side of the display case.

Once he found out that I owned this bakery, and that I was _'Sweet Pea' - _so to speak, he's always called me that. Just like my dad did. Which is where the name came to be in the first place.

I ruffle his hair with my hand and then squat down to be at eye level with him. "Hey Jack, how are you?" I ask, not being able to contain my smile at how precious he is. "Is this a new Batman toy?" I ask, referring to the action figure still in his hand.

"Yeah! I love Batman." he says with a grin. "Do you?"

"I do, he's one of my favorites." I reply. "And I love his cool car and all his gadgets." I add and he grins even bigger.

"Well, are you here for a cookie? I made your favorite- chocolate fudge with white chocolate chips."

His eyes light up with excitement and he nods. But then he seems to remember something.

"I'm here with my dad! He said I can order my birthday cake from you!" he says, running over to the counter where he knows I keep an 'idea book', full of pictures of the cakes I've done.

At his words, I finally turn my head towards the entrance. Assuming for the first time, to meet Jack's dad, rather than Julia.

But the person standing before me is not who I expected to be standing there. It's someone I haven't seen in years, that I didn't even know came back to Chicago. And now he's here, standing all of about 10 feet away from me.

_Tobias Eaton._

**-/-/-/-/-**

**Thanks for reading!  
>Please review, follow, favorite, etc. to let me know what you think!<strong>

**This first chapter could kind of be a one-shot on it's own, as-is. But I plan to continue this story a bit longer. I'm not completely sure yet, but I predict this story will be roughly 6-10 chapters total, although each chapter will be much smaller than this one.**

**As usual, I'll be making picture collages to correlate with these chapter updates. They'll be posted on my Tumblr - madisonr1129**

**If all goes according to plan, I should have Chapter 2 posted next weekend.**

**Ractre1127- As always, thank you for your incredible assistance! You're amazing!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N-**

**Thank you SO much for all the feedback on that first chapter! You're amazing!**

**Here is Chapter 2.**

**Warning:  
>I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age.<br>This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).  
>Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, etc. that I use. This is simply my fanfiction.<strong>

**-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

**~Tobias POV~**

"You're going to love this place daddy!" Jack says as he happily tugs me along to the bakery he's mentioned to me several times.

"Auntie says you love it here." I reply with a smile.

Apparently when Julia is watching him for me on my work days, she often takes him here for a treat. He especially loves their cookies and muffins. Julia even mentioned that they'd made friends with the owner and staff.

About a week ago, I reminded him his 5th birthday is coming up, and he's been talking about getting his cake here ever since. Since I have the day off, I decided to take him in to look.

As we stroll down the sidewalk, I'm reminded of how much I miss and admire this part of the city. I don't know why it's been so long since I've made it over here besides on work calls.

As we get closer, I begin to smell the delicious baked goods, even from a block away.

Once we're at the door, Jack releases my hand and bounds inside, causing me to chuckle at how cute and excited he is.

Upon entering, I take in the surroundings of the place. It seems new and modern, but still has an old school bakery coffee shop type of vibe. It's welcoming and again, seems like they have delicious food by the warm scent of freshly baked bread. Before I'm able to take in any more of my surroundings, I notice my son hugging and greeting the female worker at the counter. But once my eyes take in the sight of her face, I'm shocked beyond belief.

Is that really Tris Prior standing before me? Greeting my son and looking at him adoringly as they discuss how cool batman is?

What the fuck?

I can't help but look her up and down. She wears jeans and a long sleeved shirt, covered by a cream colored apron that ties around her waist with a brown bow in front of her- she looks even more beautiful than I remember, and she seems completely in her element here. And completely natural and comfortable around my son. It's insanely bizarre, and for a moment, I think I must be dreaming.

I don't know how long I stand there gaping at the sight before my eyes, my heart pounding in my ears. But it's as if time stands still when she eventually straightens up and looks towards me.

The utter surprise on her face is evident, obviously not expecting it to be_ me _being introduced as this young boy's father.

We continue to stare blankly at each other, before I utter the first thing that comes to mind.

"Hi." I say, but it comes out more like a whisper.

"Hi." she replies quietly, tucking some hair behind her ear as she looks down at the ground.

"Whoa, Daddy! Look at this Lego cake!" Jack exclaims from counter where he's apparently now looking through a book of cakes.

I'm not able to form a response to him immediately, still in too much shock from the sight of the girl that I've been in love with for most of my life- but haven't seen in 7 years.

Jack must realize I'm not completely paying attention to him, as he comes back over to me and pulls on my hand, attempting to tug me over to the book.

"What's wrong dad?" he asks and I follow him over slowly as he leads the way, but I can't seem to take my eyes off Tris. He must notice my odd reaction at seeing his bakery friend.

"Uh, nothing's wrong kiddo." I say to him as Tris makes her way to the other side of the counter, opposite side the cake book. She grabs an order form and sets it on the counter, but doesn't make any effort to begin filling it out.

As she does so, I glance down at her hand to see if there is an engagement or wedding ring, and I swear my heart feels 100 times lighter after seeing there isn't. Even though I shouldn't even be looking, or caring, or wondering. I have no right to.

"Let me know if you decide to order anything. Or if you've changed your mind and don't want to... I understand." she says politely.

I'm somewhat surprised by her words. Why would I change my mind? She doesn't sound rude or angry, just... unsure. As if she thinks I'm going to bolt now that I recognize her. It saddens me that she doubts _me _wanting to be in her company at all.

"We want to order a cake. For sure." Jack replies to her with a grin. "Right dad?" he adds, looking up at me for confirmation.

"Yeah, of course. If that's alright?" I ask Tris.

She smiles kindly and nods as she grabs a pen and readies herself to fill out the form.

I see her fill in 'Tobias Eaton' under the 'Name' field, but when she goes to fill out the phone number spot, she pauses, just staring down at the paper. Then decides to move on without asking for my number.

"Date and time you'd like to pick it up?" she asks politely.

"Saturday, the 26th...at 11am? If that's okay? I know it's still a few weeks away, but he's eager to get this order placed early."

"No problem." she says with another smile directed towards Jack, and fills the pick-up date in at the top.

"How many people does it need to feed?" she asks me.

"Uh...around 15-20 people I guess?"

She nods and continues.

"Flavor of cake and fillings?" she asks next, handing me a pamphlet that shows all the flavor combinations she offers.

"Your chocolatiest." Jack answers, without me even having a chance to read him the flavor options. But before writing that down, she looks to me for approval, so I nod in affirmation.

"Did you find any design you like?" she asks him as he continues flipping through a ton of pictures."

"There's a lot to pick from." he replies, seemingly a bit overwhelmed of the possibilities.

"I like these cool super hero cupcakes...but I want just one cake, not cupcakes." he says, turning his head sideways as if imagining the design.

"I could do something like that, but make it a new special design, just for you." she offers as she grabs a blank piece of paper. "What about something like this?" she asks, drawing a rectangle sheet cake and various designs representing different super heroes. Even her quick sketch looks amazing, and it's adorable how Jack's eyes light up in excitement.

"I love it!" he says.

"If it's okay, I might tweak it a little bit to surprise you. But it will be similar to that, okay?" she asks him and he nods, still grinning.

"Thank you!" he says and she smiles at him like he lights up her afternoon. It makes this all that more surreal to me.

Not only are we actually sitting here having a conversation, like I'm just an ordinary customer, but she and Jack seem so at ease with each other. It's so odd to think that he's known her all this time that Julia's been taking him here.

And Jules is friends with her too? This is all so...unexpected.

"Is that alright?" she looks up to ask me, and she must have caught me staring at her because her cheeks tint slightly, just like they used to when we were growing up together.

"Absolutely, that sounds great." I reply, offering her a smile back.

"Alright, sounds good. I'll have it ready. Can I get you guys anything else?" she asks, handing me a copy of the order form.

"Uh...yeah, um..." I stutter, rubbing the back of my neck.

I surely can't just walk away, not acknowledging that she and I are standing under the same roof once again. I'm eager to talk to her, to see how she is. What she's been up to. How she came to open this bakery. I want to know everything. But...a part of me is nervous. Does even want to talk to me? I know not to expect anything from her, but I can't help but want to catch up. I've missed her.

"Can I get a cookie?" Jack asks me, pointing out the ones that she had mentioned earlier.

"Sure, we'll take two of those." I tell her and look over all the other amazing looking things she's got prepared and on display. "And a piece of that chocolate pound cake." I add.

She nods and begins gathering and packaging our order.

I consider trying to talk to further, but have no idea where to start. And I don't want to get into anything heavy right now, especially with Jack here, and I don't want to interrupt if she has work to do. But I can't just leave here without saying anything.

Before I know it, I've paid and have my items in hand. It's time to leave, but I can't seem to muster up the courage to engage in any further conversation. To nervous and unsure and confused.

"Well, we should let you get back to work. But, it was really good to see you Tris." I decide to say. At least I can acknowledge it's good to see her, which is absolutely the case, despite how we had left things.

"You too." she says, with smile. And although it's her true and beautiful smile, there is a hint of sadness behind it that makes my heart ache.

"Thank you for everything." I add.

"Of course, anytime." she replies, coming around the edge of the counter, leaning her hip against it. Jack goes over to give her a hug goodbye and I find the sight so sweet that I can't help my growing smile. And I realize I so badly want to lean in and give her a hug too.

So I do.

I lean in and hug her like the friend she once was. I feel selfish for wanting it so bad, and not considering whether or not it's weird or if she wants me hugging her. Hell, she might have a boyfriend or a husband or something that may not like the sight of this. But it's just a hug, and my instincts say to just go for it.

So as if simply picking up from when I lost saw her several years ago, my arms wrap around her, pulling her into my chest. It seems to take her by surprise slightly, but she responds quickly. Her arms wrapping around my waist, holding me close for a moment, before we both pull away after what feels like an appropriate amount of time to make it a platonic friendly embrace.

"It was really good to see you." I say again with a smile, not being able to help myself.

She chuckles slightly, finding my repetitive words amusing. "I'll see you the 26th." she replies with a smile, biting her lip. But she has no idea how much I've always loved her mouth, and what it does to me when she licks her lips or tugs on them with her teeth. Even now, she seems to have the same effect on me that she used to.

"Would it be okay if I see you sooner than that?" I ask and she once again seems somewhat surprised at my question. I know I shouldn't make it seem like I want to ask her out. But I still want to see her again. I'd like to catch up. So I try and find a neutral middle ground. "What are your hours during the week?" I ask, thinking that stopping by here again might be a good idea.

"We're open 7am-6pm every day." she says.

"When do _you_ work?" I ask, hoping I don't sound too creepy.

"Tuesday-Saturday...usually from 5am until around 1 or 2 o'clock." she says with a shy smile.

Behind me, I hear the bell on the door indicate another customer has entered. So I try my best to finally leave her be.

"Alright, well, I'll see you soon." I say finally, a smile still gracing my face.

I then turn to my son, who is waiting patiently, playing with this batman figurine. "Ready to go little man?"

"Yep!" he says, before waving at Tris. "Bye Sweet Pea." he says, and I chuckle at the nickname.

I guess that's one of the reason's I never realized it was her, since he's never actually referred to her as Tris around me before, preferring her bakery namesake.

"See you later Jack." she says with a smile and a wave.

We make our way towards the door, and just as I reach for the handle, Jack giggles and looks up at me.

"What?" I ask

"You hugged her too." Jack explains with another giggle.

"That I did." I say simply, smiling to myself.

**-/-/-/-**

I go back every morning over the next 3 days.

She's usually busy, so I try not to take up much of her time. Happy to just get a coffee, a pastry for breakfast, and say a quick hello. It's worth it just to see that smile every morning. It makes the rest of my day that much better. Plus, I'm trying to work up the nerve to see if she'll meet up and talk.

I miss her. I want to be around her again, if she'll allow it. And I think our brief visits are easing into that. Hopefully.

I'm still curious as to why she stopped talking to me years ago. I had simply stopped getting letters from her, and the one time I got the courage to call her, it said the number had been disconnected. So I took it as a sign she didn't want to hear from me anymore, and pretty much cut our ties off all together. I had to try and get over myself, and accept that she was moving on to bigger and better things. And people.

But now that we're both back here Chicago again, I can't seem to keep my distance. I can't stop thinking about her.

I'm thankful she seems okay with me coming to her bakery regularly. And I'm even gladder that she actually seems happy to see me each time. But there is a hint of confusion behind her looks too. It's probably not noticeable by anyone but me, but it just confuses me even more. Is she that surprised that I want to see her?

I'm also curious if she's with anyone romantically. I finally asked Julia yesterday, and got teased about it for a good solid 10 minutes, before she finally said that as far as she knew, Tris was single. That she had been in a serious relationship, but that it didn't work out. And she doesn't think she's seen anyone since.

Julia didn't offer any more details. Even though I was curious about the serious relationship she mentioned, I respected her discretion, as it wasn't her story to tell.

But I feel restless, the unresolved questions heavy in my heart.

Even though it might be hard, I think it's time we talk. More than just the limited generic conversations that we've been having. Neither of us divulging much more about ourselves, our past, or plans for the future.

So I decide that one day soon, I'll ask her to hang out. It will be casual, maybe even with Jack since it will have to be when I'm off work.

Even if we don't get to the deep stuff that's eating away at me, at least it will be one step closer.

**-/-/-**

I arrive at the bakery just after 11am the next day.

I'm in my work uniform, as I'm technically working. But when the Captain said we were stopping to pick up groceries for the next few days, and they pulled the fire engine up to the store next to the bakery, I knew I had to stop inside.

I had given the excuse that they make the best garlic bread, and that it would go great with the spaghetti dinner they'd planned on making. Which I'm sure is true, Tris' garlic bread looked and smelled amazing, even though I have yet to actually try it.

But none the less, the rest of my crew head into the store, while I step into the bakery.

Christina is first to greet me. She's been here the last two times I'd stopped by, so she doesn't seem surprised to see me. In fact, she just gives me a shake of her head and a knowing smirk before saying, "I'll go get her."

When Tris comes out, in that same cute apron and a dusting of flour on her cheek, I can't help but smile broadly at her.

"Hey Tobias." she says with a welcoming smile. "How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"Doing well. Anything I can get for you?"

"Well, the guys at the station plan on making spaghetti for dinner. So I insisted we stop and get some of your freshly baked garlic bread to go with it." I say.

"Ah, I agree, that sounds like a good plan." she replies, reaching for a loaf of it behind her. "One loaf?"

"Better make it two." I say and she nods and grabs a second one as well. She bags them and meets me at the register.

"So, you're a firefighter." she states with a smile, but she says it as if she's proud of me.

Of course she'd be supportive and proud of me, she's Tris. I can't say I'm surprised, but it still feels good to have made her give me that look. Like she's happy for me.

"Yeah, have been for about 3 years. I was previously at the Elmhurst station. But been at the nearby Chicago station for the past few months, once Jack and I moved back into the city."

"That's great. I bet you really enjoy it." she says, coming around to the front of the counter where I am and leans her hip on the counter top. Her body language casually inviting me to extend the conversation, as she looks at me with interest.

"I do. After I got my business degree from UCSC, I worked for my dad's company. But it got really boring, really quick. So it wasn't long until I decided to join the fire academy instead, and became an EMT. I'd finally decided I wanted to do something really rewarding and that I could see myself doing for the next 40-50 years.

"I think that's amazing. And I remember when we were little, you'd always said you'd be a fireman one day. As if even back then, it was just a fact." she reminds me with a playful smile.

"That's true. And you always wanted to be a chef or baker, a ballerina, a newspaper journalist, a spy, or a zookeeper." I reply, counting the job ideas off my fingers, since even at a young age, she was always so indecisive and had several careers in mind.

She lets out a small laugh. "I forgot about the spy and zookeeper ones. I'm surprised you remember any of that. Weren't we like 8 or 9 when we discussed that?"

"I have a good memory. Especially when it comes to anything involving you."

She smiles again at my comment, but she blushes.

"And here you're doing one of the things you wanted to do too." I add.

She nods in agreement.

"When did you decide to open the bakery?"

"Well, after I graduated culinary school, I worked as a pastry chef at a few restaurants. It was fun, but I got tired of making such a small variety of things. The menu's got boring fast. I'd considered opening up my own bakery and cafe, but didn't have the guts to make it happen. But then... some things happened...and I was able to afford it and just decided to go for it. So I did it, and it's been awesome. It's been open almost a year now." she says.

"That's great." I say enthusiastically, happy she's been so successful. But I can't help but be curious as to what _'things' _happened. But I don't ask.

"I'm glad you're doing something you enjoy, and that it's doing so well. Not that I'm surprised, you've always had a talent for baking and coming up with recipes.

"Yeah, it's been a dream come true. I love that I have the freedom to just be creative and bake whatever I want." she adds with a smile and I nod.

My walkie talkie beeps and announces a call. But it's on the other side of town, and my engine isn't assigned to it.

"I'm sorry- do you need to..respond to that?" she asks tentatively, as if feeling bad she's taking up my time.

"No really, it's okay. That wasn't for us." I assure her. "But I should probably get back before the guys come looking for me. I'm still the newbie around here, and they like to tease me about anything and everything."

She smiles, but it turns into a laugh as I hear the bell jingle on the door and she looks around me to the three guys approaching the counter, also in their standard fire department uniforms.

"I guess I jinxed it, huh?" I say with a chuckle, but she just seems amused.

"You almost ready Four? I see you're getting distracted from your bread duties." Captain Amar asks with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, I can see why you insisted we stop by here after all." Uriah teases.

"Uri..." I sigh.

"Sorry, that's my fault. I didn't mean to take up much of his time." Tris says. "I can't seem to stop blabbing away."

"By how Four was smiling at you when we came in, I doubt he minds your blabbing." Will chimes in, which earns him a glare from me in response.

I give Tris an apologetic look, but she is just biting back a smile, still amused by my teasing co-workers.

"Four?" she asks, obviously curious at the nickname.

"Yeah, it's just a stupid name-" I begin, but Uriah cuts me off.

"He's always been known as Four around the station, because according to his file, he's got the fastest record for completing the physical agility test. 4 minutes flat. He's legendary." he says with a rough pat on my back.

She looks at me with another proud smile and I offer a meek smile back before looking down at my shoes shaking my head. I knew the guys would try to tease or embarrass me if they got the chance.

"Alright, time to grab one of these blackberry pies, then we better get back." Amar speaks up.

He gives me another knowing look, as Tris goes to retrieve the blackberry pie.

When we're ready to go, she looks to me with a nervous smile.

"See you tomorrow?" she asks, assuming I'll be stopping by out of routine.

"See you tomorrow." I confirm and smile, before turning and pushing Will and Uriah out to follow Amar.

**-/-/-**

It's been 10 days.

TEN days since my son insisted on me taking him to his favorite bakery, oblivious that I was at one time (and possibly still am) in love with the owner of said bakery.

Although she and I are slowly becoming reacquainted with one another, and maybe even becoming friends again, and I don't want to ruin that...I still need to have a more serious conversation with her.

So I decide today is the day that I'm going to ask her to hang out. I'm really going to go through with it this time.

I've seen her every day now for 10 days. I can do this.

This time, I arrive at the bakery just after 8am, but once I step inside, there's already a line to the door.

I'm not at all surprised this place is so busy. Not only is everything I've tried so far completely amazing, but once again- the whole place smells of freshly baked bread and pastries, and the scent of coffee mixes with it all. It's intoxicating, and even if it weren't for my knowing Tris, I'd think this place was amazing.

I take my spot in line and eventually when it's my turn, I recognize the young guy and girl working, but don't spot Tris.

I end up ordering a latte and 3 cinnamon rolls. One for me, one for Jack, and one to give my sister when I go pick him up from her house.

But after paying the blonde haired girl, I decide to just ask.

"Is Tris around?" I ask.

"She's out doing a cake delivery." she replies with a courteous smile. "Should be back anytime though."

I contemplate staying to wait for her, but Julia has to get to work soon, and I can't make her late.

So after about 5 minutes of sitting at a nearby table, I unfortunately have to get to my feet and head to pick up my son.

But just as the door closes behind me, I hear my name.

"Tobias?" she asks.

I look up from my phone since I had been texting Julia that I'm on my way, and find Tris standing before me with a plastic bin in hand.

"Hey Tris." I say, greeting her with a cheerful smile.

"You're here early today. What'd you get?" she asks, pointing down at the pastry box in my hand.

"Some cinnamon rolls. And I already drank my coffee." I reply. "But I also came by to say hi."

"Sorry, I was out doing a delivery." she explains. "Big cake order for the Finch wedding at Millennium Park."

"No worries, I'm just happy I still caught you. And speaking of parks...I've actually got to go pick up Jack from my sister's house now, so that she can head to work. But, I promised him I'd take him to the park later. Any chance you'd like to join us?" I ask on a whim, rubbing the back of my neck out of habit when I'm nervous.

Her mouth opens as if to reply, but she closes it again, seemingly unsure of how to respond. "You...want me to go to the park with you guys?" she asks finally, as if it's hard to believe.

"Yeah, well- it's been a while since we hung out. And it would be nice to catch up." I try explaining.

"Okay, yeah. That would be nice." she says, but she still seems unsure.

We decide on a time and pick a park to meet at, then we part ways.

**-/-/-**

That afternoon, we meet as planned. Jack and I arrive a little early, so I let him start playing on the playground. He goes for the swings first and asks me to push him, so I do. We end up laughing and playing together for several minutes before I realize Tris is sitting on the nearby bench watching us with a smile on her face.

I tell Jack that I'm going to go say hi and he agrees, giving Tris a big wave before climbing up the steps of the tall slide.

I head on over with a timid smile and take a seat beside her on the wooden bench.

"Hey, thanks for meeting us." I say.

"Yeah, no problem." she replies, that shy smile still playing on her perfect lips.

She looks down at her lap, then out at the playground. My eyes linger on her for a moment, before they go where hers go, watching Jack playing with a couple of kids around his age.

"So, what have you been up to?" we both ask at the same time, causing us both to laugh.

"You go first." I insist.

"Well, the delivery this morning went well. And everything went smoothly at the shop afterward, but it was overwhelmingly busy. I might need to hire another person soon. I guess that's a good problem to have though." she says. "What about you?

"Doing well. He likes when I have days off to spend with him." I say.

"You mentioned you were living in Elmhurst...how are you settling back here in the city?"

"It's going good. The fire station I work at is fun, and all the guys are great to work with. Jack and I have a two-bedroom apartment about 5 minutes from here. It's small, but it works well for us. And it's a good neighborhood, and close to the elementary school he'll be attending soon for kindergarten. He's really excited."

"He's really great." she says after a moment, watching him with a smile as he laughs and plays.

"I know... I got really lucky, he's always been amazing. It's hard to believe he's almost 5." I say, thinking fondly about watching my son grow these years. "He wasn't planned, but I wouldn't trade him for the world." I add.

"Does he... ever see his mom?" she asks tentatively. "If you don't mind me asking." she adds quickly.

It's then that I realize Julia hasn't revealed as much to her about my past than I thought. It was obvious Tris knew that his mom wasn't around much. But I guess she doesn't really know much else in that area, so I feel like I should tell her.

"No, it's fine. You can ask me anything. But to answer your question- No, we don't keep in contact with her." I say, leaning back against the back of the bench, crossing my arms casually. "And as much as I wish he had a motherly figure around, it's for the best. She and I weren't good together, and I don't think she would have been a good influence on him."

She nods in acknowledgement and I decide to continue even further. Hopefully she won't mind.

"Myra is her name. She and I had hung out occasionally in college. She was roommates with my buddy. She was nice enough, but we never really clicked. And she was more of a partier than me. But it didn't matter..." I say with a sigh. "I was going through a rough time, and after a particularly bad day, I wanted to get drunk and lost in anything but my problems. I ended up at a house party, and well, I don't remember much except that I woke up in a random bed with Myra and a broken condom on the floor beside me. A couple months later, she came to me to inform me she was pregnant, and that it was mine. We decided to keep it and try to make it work. She gave me the option of how involved I wanted to be. But I knew I definitely wanted to step up and be this kids dad, 100%, whether she and I tried to work a relationship out with each other or not. But she changed her mind about being a mother, and pretty much bolted as soon as she gave birth and was cleared for release from the hospital. So I got full custody."

We're silent for a minute.

"Some story, huh? I don't blame you if you've lost all respect for me now." I mutter with a humorless chuckle.

"I haven't lost any respect for you." she says with a shake of her head. She looks at me, tilting her head in front of my face so that I have to look at her. I give her a look of incredulity, so she speaks up again.

"It might not have been the most responsible thing to do at the time... but what college guy didn't sleep around a little? And it's not like you purposely broke the condom. Things happen. But more importantly, it happened for a reason. You were meant to have him." she says and I nod, seeing what she means.

"And what makes me have even more respect for you, is that you took responsibility for your actions. You're a wonderful dad. It's obvious." she adds with a sweet smile.

"Thank you." I say softly, appreciating those words coming from her mouth more than I thought I would.

We talk for a while more, catching up on random things that we've been up to over the years apart. It's nice that we're able to pick back up so easily. Talking with her again reminds me how much I've missed being around her. And makes me really hope I can be around her more often. But there is still a topic that has yet to really come up. The one that has been nagging at me, and I feel like I just have to get them off my chest.

"Tris, can I ask you something?" I ask tentatively.

"Of course." she replies.

"How come you stopped writing to me?" I ask.

"What?" she asks with disbelief.

"Why'd you stop? Is it something I did? I mean, it's fine. I don't blame you for wanting to get on with your life and not have to worry about writing to an old friend. But...it's always bothered me that you never cared to explain or say goodbye. I always expected you'd at least let me off easy. You just kind of stopped talking to me and... it hurt. A lot. And I guess I've just always been curious as to what happened between us." I say with a sigh.

There, it's all out. I find that I'm a bit agitated now, recalling those months...years...of hurt. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my legs as I watch my son play and wait for her response. Not sure if I'm going to like it or not, but knowing I want to hear it either way.

"I didn't stop writing to you, Tobias. _You_ stopped writing to me." she clarifies, as if completely perplexed as to how I couldn't remember how things happened.

Her words leave me speechless and I recount that year that I stopped hearing from her all together, and how broken I felt. But before I can utter anything, she continues.

"I sent several letters asking what you'd been up to, since I hadn't been hearing from you. But never got a response. When I sent you my new cell phone number, I never received a call or text. And I was so frustrated and sad, I couldn't get myself to be the one to call or text first. So eventually I got fed up, and sent one final, _very bitchy sounding_, letter." she says, sounding both slightly annoyed and ashamed, before continuing.

"I was quite pissed that you failed to even acknowledge me for months upon months. I was mad at you, as well as with myself- for thinking our friendship could actually continue despite the distance. But...I was also worried that maybe something had happened to you. So on your 19th Birthday, I finally got the guts to call you. Using the excuse to wish you a happy birthday, but also to make sure you were okay. I called the first number I thought of, which was apparently your house number. Your dad answered, and I asked if you were home. He said you were on vacation with your _girlfriend_. And well, that hit me like a ton of bricks. Even though you had every right to have a girlfriend, it was hard to accept. Harder than I expected. And I just assumed that's why you stopped talking to me. You'd moved on. And...it took a while, but I eventually accepted that. I just wanted you to be happy. So I tried to move on too." she finally says and a lone tear falls down her cheek.

I immediately reach up and brush it away. But again, I'm speechless. What the hell is she talking about? I am so utterly confused. I remain looking at her, a million questions running through my head with no plausible answers.

"Say something." she mutters with a strangled chuckle, obviously feeling uncomfortable by our extended silence.

"I..I'm just so confused." I admit, still not sure what to say exactly. "It doesn't make any sense to me. It's like you're recalling a whole different reality." I say, looking up to check on Jack again before looking back to her. She's waiting for me to continue, and I can see she's trying to be patient, but is actually quite anxious for me to explain what I mean.

"Tris, I saved all the letters you sent me. The last one I received was the one where you told me all about how excited you were to move into the brownstone with Christina, and two other roommates named Will and Robert. I sent letters after that, but_ I _never got a response." I say, and then I'm reminded by what she said a minute ago. "Wait, did you say my dad told you I had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, he said you were on vacation in Hawaii with her for your birthday." she repeats, but then offers to divulge a little more.

"And before I could stop myself, I told him I was unaware you had a girlfriend. He said he wasn't sure why you hadn't mentioned it to me before, but that you indeed were with someone, and that you'd be celebrating your one-year anniversary soon." she says and looks down and begins tearing at the paper on the water bottle she's holding. "He said that for your anniversary, you were going to propose to her."

The sadness in her voice makes my heart break all over again, and I'm filled with such sadness myself. Along with anger. But not towards her. Toward _Marcus._

I look down at the ground and place my head in my hands, my jaw clenching and my breathing labored. "I can't even believe him. That arrogant lying bastard-" I begin to ramble under my breath. Willing to calm myself the best I can.

"Tobias..." she says softly, laying a gentle hand on my shoulder in attempt to help ease the tension obviously coursing through my veins.

"Tris, you don't understand. That was all a bunch of bullshit. It was all lies. What I just told you- that's how it went down on my end." I say and she looks at me with wide eyes. "My dad has always had his scheming ways, to get what he wants. And he's never been fond of us being friends. And by what you're telling me, he interfered with our mail and phone calls, to break our ties."

She's quite for a couple minutes, taking in my words.

"So your dad interfered...you _did_ try contacting me?" she sates, as if it's sinking in fully.

"Exactly." I say, and decide to explain further. "I did _not_ have a girlfriend during my 19th birthday. I didn't even give girls the time of day back then. I was focused on school and work, and in my free time, having fun hanging out with my buddies, playing video games, learning to surf... And honestly, the only girl I _did_ think about, was _you_." I say, which is the truth.

But while I'm on a roll, I feel the need to be completely honest with her about the girls I _was_ with later on.

"But...obviously you know I wasn't all innocent a year or so later-" I begin, gesturing to Jack, the child I helped create and bring into this world.

"I went through a rough patch right before I turned 20. I was working ridiculous hours for my dad's stupid company, only to find out that what he was really getting himself into, which was much worse than I ever thought. So bad in fact, that I reported him and had to go to court for months. And on top of all that, you and I hadn't been speaking for a year and a half, which was devastating in itself. I tried to just remind myself that you needed to focus on your life and do what made you happy, even if that didn't involve me. But it sucked, so eventually I tried to get over it by seeing a few other girls..." I say shamefully.

She nods in understanding. But I still feel the need to continue. I just have to be open with her.

"I dated a girl named Heather for a short while, but it was mainly just a physical relationship, of which still didn't make me feel any better after all. We decided we were in it for the wrong reasons, so we ended it. Then on New Year's, I drunkenly slept with Myra, and it was just that once that changed it all." I say, shaking my head at myself again. "You want to know what's even more disturbing? She said I shouted _your_ name that night as I came." I add in a hushed whisper, ashamed of myself. "Even though it could never be the same, I fantasized it was _you._"

I don't know how all that just spilled out at once. But I'm all riled up and it feels good to be open and get it all off my chest. Especially after figuring out what my dad had done, my adrenaline is pumping and I feel the need to pace.

I stand up, not being able to sit still anymore. I tuck my hands in my pockets and take a deep breath as I watch Jack giggle and play, the dirt of the bark covering his blue t-shirt.

I feel her stand up next to me and she leans her head on my shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Tris. I'm sorry my dad is such an asshole. And I'm sorry I didn't try harder to get a hold of you. I'm sorry for everything." I say and she begins to speak, but I can't help but continue. "I tried calling you once, not knowing your number had changed. So when it said your number had been disconnected, I thought it was because you didn't want to see or hear from me anymore. I just... gave up."

"Please don't feel so guilty." she says soothingly.

"I can't help it. I know we parted ways knowing we were 'just friends', but you and I both know we felt more than that. I just felt like I finally gave up on seeing you ever again, and eventually decided to just go along with the better of the girls that came-on to me. But it never felt right. And now to find out what my dad did...I just, it's a lot to take in."

"I know. It is for me too. We lost a lot of time together. And we each took a while to deal. But, now we know it was because of your fucked up dad, not because either of us wanted to stop talking." she says with a sad chuckle and I can't help but snort. "But I still think it all happened for a reason." she says and I nod.

I'm almost too stubborn and angry with my father to agree with that. However, because of the ways things played out, I had my amazing son. So I see her point.

"Ya know, around the time you were with those girls, I began to date around too." she begins, seemingly diving into her relationship history now too. "I went on a few dates, which led nowhere. Then just after my 21st birthday, I started dating a guy named Eric. We were actually together for a couple years. But he always had trouble with that fact that I couldn't tell him I loved him. I felt bad, but I couldn't get myself to do it. It would have been a lie. I just kept telling him that I was afraid of commitment, and that I'd say it when I was ready. But the more we were together, the more I kept finding flaws, finding things about him that annoyed me. And honestly, I thought about breaking up with him several times. I think I just stayed with him out of fear of being lonely. He eventually proposed, and I reluctantly said yes. But after a few months of stressing and dreading the thought of marrying him and being with him _forever_, I decided to talk to him, and see if we could take a break. So that I could _find _myself. We got in a huge heated argument, and I officially called off the wedding. He wasn't pleased. But I knew I had to do what was right. I couldn't just marry someone I wasn't in love with. I think underneath, he was expecting it. But he still yelled my ear off when I gave the ring back." she says and pauses, looking up at me when she continues.

"When I got home that night, I opened my closet to simply put my boots away like I always did, and you know what fell from the bin on the upper shelf? A polaroid picture of me and you. It was during that last year of summer camp, when we went paint balling. Remember?" she asks with a reminiscent smile. I smile and nod. But I'm still completely intrigued by the story and eager for her to continue. So I'm thankful when she does.

"Well, I kind of took that picture as a sign. Like it was reassurance I had done the right thing. I wasn't meant to marry him. I needed someone more like _you_." she says as she takes a seat on the grass right where we're standing, tugging my hand to sit next to her.  
>"I decided I needed to be alone for a while, to be selfish and just be happy and successful all on my own. Then thought that hopefully, one day, I would find someone that made me feel as happy as I was when I was around you." she adds, resting her head on my shoulder again.<p>

I place my arm around her. Happy to have her in my embrace again.

"Maybe one day...you'll give me another shot at that?" I ask timidly.

"I think that we should take it slow, get to know each other again. But yeah...I definitely wouldn't mind giving you a shot." she says and looks up at me with a shy smile.

Seeing her eyes up this close again, makes my breath hitch. She always spoke so much with her eyes. Her big beautiful eyes that know me so well.

"That sounds good to me. As long you know I'm a package deal." I say, nodding my head in Jack's direction.

"I would hope so." she replies with a smirk before looking forward again. Jack catches us watching him and runs over to us.

He's out of breath, but still full of energy. He's quite amused about something that he's trying to tell us about between his giggles.

"You should have seen the way Ryan was being a lava monster, it was _so_ funny." he says with a grin. "Now I'm hungry though."

"Want to go get some dinner?"

"Yeah! Can we get pizza?" he asks enthusiastically.

"Sure bud." I reply, then look to Tris. "Want to join us?" I ask.

She looks from me to Jack, as if double-checking if he's okay with that.

"Pleeeeeease Tris?" he drawls out.

"Okay." she says. "Let's go get some pizza."

**-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Thank you or reading!**

**Sorry to those of you who didn't want Tobias to be Jack's dad. But that was one of the main plot points I knew I was going to include, and wanted to stick to it. But hopefully the fluffiness of this story and further romance (and smut) in future chapters, will make it worthwhile! Remember- this is still very much a Four/Tris story. :)**

**Also, I know some facts of firefighting, but honestly have no idea how long an average physical agility test is during their training. I'm sure they have several different tests, therefore different time records...if they even time it. However, I thought that was a fun way to incorporate the "Four" nickname.**

**Anyway- please review to let me know what you think! And thank you for the favorites/follows!**

**I will try my best to get Chapter 3 up next weekend.**

**In the meantime, you can check out the picture collage that correlates with this chapter. It's on my Tumblr- madisonr1129**


	3. Chapter 3

**-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

_**Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. ****This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).  
><strong>__**Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, etc. that I use. This is simply my fan fiction.**_

**-/-/-/-/-Chapter 3-/-/-/-/-**

***September 22nd - Sweet Pea Bakery***

**~~Tris POV~~**

"So, you and my brother, huh?" Julia asks me as I set her cappuccino in front of her and take a seat next to her. I then open my recipe book so that I can write down the cranberry orange scones that I seem to have perfected more to my liking.

"What's this about you and Tobias?" Christina inquires as she sits with us too, already assuming she's missing out on some juicy gossip.

"Like I've said before, we're just friends." I say with an amused chuckle. They're really pushing this lately.

"Friends that hang out almost every single day." Julia says with a smirk.

"I know, and have you see the way he looks at her when she's not looking..." Christina begins, but then I begin to tune them out.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't imagined what it would be like to actually date Tobias. To actually be his girlfriend. After having that talk at the park, learning how everything was one big mis-communication due to Marcus' scheming ways, it's helped me ease into the idea more of us becoming close again, even just as friends.

When Tobias walked into my bakery that first day, and I realized he was back in town, and had a son...well, it was a lot to take in. I honestly kind of felt like I might hyperventilate.

I was torn on how to feel. A part of me wanted to run and hide, and put that wall up, to distance myself so as not to get hurt in the end again. But then the other part of me, was so relieved and excited to even just be in the same room as him again. To actually have a conversation with him after all this time (even if it was just for a cake order) felt like oxygen to my blood.

Here I was thinking I was over him and our whole ordeal and had 'moved on', only to find my racing mind of emotions throwing me for a loop at just the presence of him.

I ended up taking the safe route. I was kind and courteous, you might even say friendly. But I kept my guard up. I didn't talk or act too personal, and for some reason, acted like there was nothing wrong with us or how we left things. Like we were simply just... old acquaintances. But as he continued coming in to my bakery each day, the more I felt the need to be around him. As well as the need to have some sort of conversation as to what the hell happened between us.

So after he brought it up, and we cleared things up, it was a huge relief. Even if it infuriated us to discover what his dad had done, and how we were left feeling about how we each handled the situation, it was still ultimately a relief. And honestly, was probably the best news possible.

But even though the truth is out, and we've cleared the air, and we've continued hanging out since then, neither of us want to rush into anything. So we're just taking things one day at a time.

I finally re-focus my attention at the task at hand, and begin jotting down the ingredients and measurements. Thankfully it's a little easier, as I realize my friends have moved onto the topic of which nail salon is best nearby.

After I finish the recipe, I flop the book shut and stand up. I smile at the sight of Jack as he plays with his hot wheels car at the table beside us, making sound effects as they soar off the back of the chair. As I look over at this adorable brown haired boy, his smile so much like his dad's, I can't believe I never realized he was his. Like seriously- major face palm.

There is so much Tobias in him, it's so obvious to me now.

"How you doin' buddy?" I ask him. "Would you like some more milk?"

"Yes please. Can I have it with vanilla?" he replies.

"Okay." I say.

I think it's cute that he loves how I had shown him that milk is extra yummy with a half-pump of Torani vanilla favored syrup.

"Can I help?"

"Sure, c'mon."

"Be right back Julia, we're getting a refill." I say and Jack follows me into the back room.

"Alright kiddo, here we go." I say, pulling out the foot stool for him to stand on so he can reach the counter.

I pull the jug of Torani syrup to the edge for him. "I'll hold your cup, and you give it a pump half way down, okay?"

"Okay." he agrees with an excited smile.

He does as I ask, and then I pull out the gallon of milk. I fill his glass for him and hand him a spoon to stir it together.

He stirs it slowly so that it doesn't spill, just like I showed him last time.

"Do you want a straw?" I ask.

He seems to ponder his answer for a moment before deciding. His eyebrows furrow just like his dad's when he's thinking. It's adorable.

"Yes please." he decides, so I go into the drawer behind me, before turning back around to face him with two options.

"Regular or silly?" I ask, holding up a regular plastic wrapped black straw that we stock up by the condiments bar, as well as a big loopy blue straw that I grabbed for him when it caught my eye at the grocery store.

He bursts out giggling before finally telling me that he'd definitely prefer the silly straw.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." I reply as I put it in his glass.

We go to make our way towards the front again, but as I look up, I see that Tobias is standing in the doorway watching us with a warm smile.

"Daddy!" Jack exclaims and runs to hug his legs.

Tobias leans down to be at his eye level and gives him a proper hug, kissing him on the head at the same time.

"How's my big guy?" Tobias asks him.

"Good. Look at my silly straw!" he says and Tobias smiles wider at him.

"I saw that. Did you say thank you?"

"Thank you." Jack says as he turns back to face me with a grateful smile. Then he faces his dad again. "Tris is the best." he loudly whispers, then walks out to the table next to his Aunt and Christina.

I bite my lip so as not to chuckle at Jack's inability to actually whisper. But I can't stop the smile that goes with it, because whenever he says sweet little things like that, my heart pumps a little faster.

"I agree, she's the best." Tobias says, as if he's replying to his son. But it's just me and him standing there and he knows it. He has a playful smile as he looks at me, looking at me with...admiration?

I've never been great at taking compliments, even if indirectly given like that. So I roll my eyes and give him a playful shove, but yet again, it's hard to contain the smile that wants to take over my face.

"What are you even doing here?" I ask, turning to turn off the timer that just started beeping.

"Well, I'm here to pick my kid up since I'm off work now, and he wasn't at his Aunt's house when I stopped there to get him. When I called, she said she was here." he says, edging his way closer to the pan of freshly baked scones I just pulled from the oven. "I'm also here to say hi to you, but if I'm unwanted..." he adds with a comical snicker.

"Oh shut up, you know you're always welcome here." I say, reaching up to get a plate. I use tongs to place one of the hot scones onto the plate and hand it to him. Then I begin putting the rest of the scones on a cooling rack.

"For me?" he asks, holding the plate hesitantly.

"Yeah, I saw the way you were honing in on them." I say with a light laugh. "And you're my official taste tester after all, right?" I ask.

"Very true." he says, as if taking his role very seriously.

"Well, this is my newly improved cranberry orange scone recipe. A little extra cream, orange zest, and added a vanilla orange glaze over the tops." I explain, pouring him a glass of water to go with it. "I think they're a little better this way. What do you think?" I ask.

"God yes." he says after swallowing his first bite. "So good." he adds before going in for bite number two, holding the plate up so as not to spill crumbs.

I smile and turn to begin my clean-up. I do pretty well of doing most of it as I go along. But I still need to sweep, wipe down the counters, and do the last couple of dishes. So it shouldn't take me long to get out of here this afternoon.

He watches me as he finishes eating. Then he takes the plate over to the sink and begins washing it, along with the other few sitting in the sink. I'd argue that he doesn't have to do that, but we both know there's no point. He's always doing stuff like that and won't ever take no for an answer.

"So, Jack and I were talking as I tucked him in for bed last night..." he begins.

My ears perk up at the thought of where he's going with this. But I continue sweeping.

"Yeah?" I ask, letting him know I'm listening.

"Would you like to come to his Birthday party this weekend? I know you work Saturdays, but you said you're usually able to get out of here by 2 o'clock, and it doesn't start until 5. We're doing an early pizza dinner since Julia works until 4:30." he says as he turns to face me, drying his hands on a paper towel.

"I-I...yeah." I stutter, a bit surprised at his question. I guess I just assumed his birthday party would consist of their family and close friends...and I wasn't aware they'd consider me a part of that mix. Unless he's just trying to be courteous. But I agree anyway.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. But...are you sure? I mean, just because we've been hanging out doesn't mean you have to invite me. You shouldn't feel obligated-" I start to say, but he interrupts my babbling.

"I'd like you to be there Tris. And so would Jack."

"Yeah?" I ask, with a shy smile.

"Yeah. I really wanted you to be there, but wanted to check with him first. So I asked him if he'd like me to invite you. And he said he thought you were already coming. You should have seen how sad his face turned at the prospect of you not being invited." he says.

"Aw." I say, smiling at the thought of cute little Jack having this conversation with Tobias.

"So, you'll be there?" he asks with a hopeful look.

"I'll be there." I confirm, causing him to grin.

-/-/-/-

***September 26th - Tobias and Jack's Apartment***

"See, I told you we'd get here on time." Christina tells me as we make our way up the steps to the brick building of Tobias' apartment.

When Tobias and I had come back out from the back of the bakery the other day, we stumbled upon Julia telling Chris that she should come to Jack's birthday party too. And even though I was excited to be a part of Jack's day, and to Tobias' place for the first time, it was still nerve wracking. So I was glad to hear my friend agree to join us.

"It's not a matter of being on time. I said I'd be early since I have the cake." I explain, although I guess it's not too big of a deal. It's still about 10 minutes until the party is technically to begin.

But I feel a little anxious, and it doesn't help that I feel under-dressed. I had a bit of a cake emergency earlier, as I had received a frantic call regarding the wedding cake I had just delivered, explaining that the not-so-well-behaved ring bearer had decided to take a fork and try the cake when nobody was looking. So I had to go back for last minute repairs. Thus, having no time to go back home to change or anything for Jack's party. So here I am feeling even less at ease, in the black pants and white shirt I had worn to work. And I feel like my hair is a mess. But, I decided being on time was more important. So here I am.

As Christina knocks on the door, I take a deep breath and will my nerves to calm down.

Within seconds, the door swings open, revealing Julia.

"Hey ladies!" she says, opening the door wider to let us in. "C'mon in, Tobias is just upstairs getting Jack dressed. Let's get that cake into the kitchen." she adds, leading the way.

Christina takes the gifts she and I brought for Jack, and sets them on the table next to the others that already sit wrapped and waiting.

"You are something else, Tris." Julia chuckles as I set the large cake on the kitchen counter. "They're going to love it."

I guess she means them, by Jack and Tobias. And I actually feel somewhat more at ease from her words. I had second-guessed myself after completing the cake, hoping it wasn't too over the top.

"Eh, it's just fondant. It's pretty easy to work with." I say. But Julia and Christina both roll their eyes at my humble response.

"Well, I'll go let them know you're here. Make yourselves at home." she says.

The kitchen is fairly small, but super nice and with high-end appliances. And very clean, he's always been a clean person. I think it's engrained in him from living with Marcus.

The living area is simple, but nice. There is a tan leather couch facing two matching chairs. A wall-mounted TV above the fire place, and some really cool side tables that look like they were refurbished from wine barrels. But what catches my eye, is a small painting up on one of the walls.

I recognize it because I painted it.

When we were at camp, we had a painting class and that was one of the abstracts I had done. I wasn't happy with it, so went to throw it away. But he scolded me for it and pulled it from the trash bin, claiming he loved it and would be happy to keep it. I had rolled my eyes and said he was being silly. But he insisted, saying he'd frame it and have it up in his house when he 'grew up' and had a place of his own.

I feel my eyes water at the sight of it. He still had it. And it really was up on his wall.

I can't help but be curious...did he put it up recently, knowing I'd be coming over and might recognize it? Or has it always been up?

As if reading my mind, I feel Julia approach me and look at the painting too, tilting her head to the side to look at it.

"It's great, right?" she asks, referring to the painting.

"Huh?" is my only response, surprised by her words.

"The painting, it's beautiful, isn't it? I don't know where he got it, but he's always had it up. I think he must have got it at a garage sale like he has most of his art work. But this was a really good find." she explains, apparently oblivious that it was me who had painted it at age 15.

Fuck. Seriously Tobias, can you get any sweeter?

I have no idea what to say, so I'm thankful when Christina joins us and plops on the couch. "This couch is way too comfortable." she says, and Julia goes to sit with her.

I then find myself wandering towards the other wall that has several framed photographs.

I admire the many of Jack as a baby and as a young toddler. He's always been adorable, as I expected. I also see a picture of Tobias' mom, as well as a few of him and Julia, along with a couple other people I don't recognize. I don't see any of Marcus, which doesn't surprise me. But it's nice to see he's gotten so close to his mother and sister.

"So yeah, his house is awesome." I hear Christina say, looking around from where she sits.

"I can't take much credit, Julia helped decorate." I hear the familiar voice say behind us. Just as I'm about to turn around to face Tobias, I hear the sound of small shoes bounding into the room and then I feel the thump of a small boy slamming into my legs for a hug.

It makes me laugh and when I turn to look down at him, he's grinning up at me.

"Hey there Birthday boy." I say, returning his smile and bending down to give him a hug back.

"Hi Sweet Pea." he says. Even though he often calls me Tris nowadays too, he's still not shaken the nickname completely. Not that I've ever minded.

"Hey, where's my hug?" Christina says to him from the couch.

He giggles and turns to run over to her.

My eyes finally lift to Tobias to him standing there watching me with his hands in his pockets. He's wearing a plaid button up shirt, which has the top couple of buttons undone, casually revealing his extremely sexy collar bone.

But as I hear Julia responding with how she barely did any of the decorating, and that he's just too shy to admit he has a good eye for this stuff, I release the breath I was apparently holding. And I remind myself where I am, and why, and that need to keep my mind G-rated today. Which, I'm finding might be difficult in Tobias' presence. I feel like the more he and I are around each other, the more attracted to him I am becoming.

"Thanks for coming." he says.

"Yeah, of course." I say and he steps closer, pulling his hands from his pockets, as if to give me a hug in greeting. So I meet him half-way and wrap my arms around his neck for a brief hug.

Over his shoulder, I see Julia and Christina share a look, both smirking at our not-so-subtle affection.

"Did you bring my cake?" Jack asks.

"Of course I did. It's in the kitchen, let's go see it." I reply.

He runs towards the kitchen, with Tobias and me following him.

"Wow! That's for me?!" he exclaims with excitement at the sight of the four-tiered super hero themed cake. "That's the best cake I ever saw!" he adds.

"I'm glad you like it. I kind of embellished your design." I say. "But as you requested, it's a very chocolaty cake and filling inside. Even with a chocolate buttercream frosting under this smooth fondant." I add, pointing out the outer layer.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he repeats, hugging me again.

Then we hear the doorbell ring.

"Why don't you go help auntie answer the door?" Tobias suggests.

"K!" he replies and bolts out of the room.

"So, this is what $20 bucks gets you at Sweet Pea's Bakery, huh?" Tobias asks me hypothetically in an amused manner, referring to how much I had charged him that first day.

"I know, sorry. I couldn't help myself." I reply, leaning my hip on the counter.

"It looks amazing Tris, and he loves it. But let me pay you more for it? It's huge-"

"No, don't be silly." I interrupt. He begins to protest, but I interrupt again. "I'm the one who decided to expand on the design and size. Just think of it as part of my birthday gift." I say. "Plus, you'll have plenty of leftovers to take to take and share at the fire station. Extra kudos for the new guy, eh?" I tease.

He laughs, and starts to reply, but he's cut short as people begin to join us in the kitchen.

Tobias turns to greet them.

"Hey Mom." Tobias says, taking a few steps to greet her with a hug. She holds the embrace for a few long moments, whispering something in his ear, before she pats his back twice and pulls away giving him a knowing smirk. He chuckles and looks down as they pull away, obviously slightly embarrassed by whatever she had said.

He turns around and I notice a slight rosy tint to his cheeks, but still, he introduces me as if it's nothing. I have actually never met his mother. Even when we were young kids, before his parents got divorced, they were separated and his mom and sister lived on their own across town. But she's how I expected her, blonde hair, just like Julia, and a big warm smile. She's pretty, and looks great for her age of what I believe is in her late 40's.

"Tris, this is my mom, Evelyn." Tobias says.

"It's very nice to meet you." I say with a friendly smile.

"You too Tris, I'm so glad you came today. I can't believe we've never met." Evelyn replies, foregoing a handshake in greeting and going straight for a friendly hug.

"And this is my husband, Doug." she says, introducing me to the man behind her. I remember Tobias telling me a few days ago, how his mother had re-married 6 years ago. And that he was happy she found a good guy, considering she put up with Marcus for so long.

"Hi Doug." I say, shaking his hand.

"You're the famous Tris. Jack has told us all about you." he replies with a friendly smile just as Jack runs into the room with a balloon in each hand. A young boy, appearing to be near his age or possibly a little older, runs in after him.

"Come look at my cake, Steven." Jack says, leading his friend over to the counter.

Then in comes Steven's parents, which turn out to be Zeke Pedrad, and a woman I am introduced to as his wife Shauna.

I remember Tobias mentioning he and Zeke were still great friends, and he was married with 1 kid, and another on the way. So it's nice to see him here and catch up, since I haven't seen him since that last year of summer camp.

After a few minutes, I hear someone knock at the door, then I feel Tobias' hand on my shoulder for a moment. I look at him and we share a quick glance and smile as he shuffles past to greet more guests.

Before I know it, there have got to be close to 25 people here, and I'm introduced to everyone. Tobias' Aunt, Uncle and two young cousins who happily begin playing with Jack and Steven. Then there are Doug's two kids from his previous marriage- therefore, Tobias' two step brothers, who are just a couple years older than him. Then not long after, his co-worker Will also shows up, followed shortly by Zeke's younger brother Uriah and his new girlfriend Marlene.

It's a full house as we mill around and chat, and at some point, the pizzas arrive and we eat in various areas of the kitchen and living room.

After finishing off my food, I find myself sitting next to Doug on the leather couch, chatting about random things. But it's not long before Evelyn comes and sits in the chair to my other side. She seems happy to join the conversation, which transitions into them telling me all about Jack. Which is fine by me. Hearing the cute stories and the sweet things about Tobias raising him, makes my heart swell.

A few minutes later, Tobias comes over to join us.

"I see they're honing in on you Tris." he says with a chuckle as he takes the closest seat available, which is on the other side of Doug on the couch.

"We were just telling her how terrified you were when you had to learn to change a diaper, and how often you got peed on. But how after a couple weeks, you became an expert." Evelyn says.

"He had Jack wiped down, re-diapered and dressed, in less than a minute." Doug adds.

Tobias and I laugh, causing Evelyn and Doug to laugh as well.

As we continue to all socialize with each other, I find myself feeling very much at ease. This feels so comfortable- in this home, with these people, with the glances that Tobias and I share. A part of me had been afraid that I might feel out of place, or that I would be socially awkward, which I can sometimes be. But thankfully, I find it to be the opposite. I feel totally relaxed and welcome, and I enjoy all the company here.

Eventually, we help the kids play a few games, then Jack is told he may finally open his gifts since he's been so patient.

He gets lots of great toys and fun things, including a Nintendo DS that his daddy got him. He seems genuinely grateful for everything he opens, and his enthusiasm has us all smiling and giggling.

But as he nears my present, I become a little anxious. I was so torn as to what to get him. I didn't want to go overboard, but I knew I didn't want to come empty handed. Even with the cake, I wanted him to have something to open from me. So I tried to come up with something creative, but now I'm just nervous it's silly and stupid.

As he reaches into the gift bag and pulls out the handmade cotton drawstring bag with the lightning bolt I had sewn onto it, I hastily sip on my lemonade to discreetly hide my nervousness.

He looks at it in wonder, obviously curious as to what it is. He holds up the little card that's attached to the drawstring.

Tobias, who sits behind him, leans over his shoulder to help him read it.

"Well buddy, this seems to be your very own Super Hero Fort Kit." he begins, looking up at me briefly with an intrigued smile, then continues reading. "Includes: sheets, clamps, flash light, glow sticks, walkie talkies, books and snacks."

"Wow!" Jack says with a grin, pulling the bag open to find all the listed items inside.

"Can we do a fort right now dad?" Jack asks with a hopeful look in his eye.

"How about we have cake first?" Tobias suggests.

"Okay, yeah. Let's have cake first." he says, deciding that sounds like a really good idea, as he's also been quite eager for cake.

We all head into the dining area, where the cake is now displayed, and Tobias hands me the candles.

"You're the artist, you should decide where to stick them." he says, giving me candle duty.

I chuckle, but open the package anyway. I pull out 5 candles and stick them in where I think they look good, and also won't be too difficult for Jack to blow out.

Julia sets Jack in the chair in front of the cake and Evelyn and a few others are taking some pictures, as Tobias grabs the lighter and begins lighting the candles.

Everyone begins to sing Happy Birthday, and I can't help but notice how Tobias watches his son, so adoringly. But after a moment, he glances up at me with a warm smile. We continue singing one whole line of the song just looking at one another, before he finally looks back at Jack, with an even bigger smile than he had before.

Once the song concludes, Jack blows out the candles, and grins when he gets all 5 in one try.

"Did you make a wish?" Tobias asks.

"Yep." Jack replies with a mischievous smile. Knowing that per tradition, you're not supposed to reveal your birthday wish.

"Ok, good." Tobias chuckles, before leaning over to lift the cake and carry it carefully into the kitchen to be cut.

Which is where I find myself a couple minutes later since he claimed he had no idea how to cut a tiered cake properly.

So I slice it and plate it, as Tobias scoops the chocolate chip ice cream to go along with it.

Our simple task is innocent, but it still somehow feels intimate.

His family and friends socialize with the birthday boy in the dining room, while he and I are in the kitchen alone, dishing up the dessert. It's very domestic of us, but it feels good.

It's definitely something a person would simply do for a friend. So it shouldn't seem like such a big deal. But I can't help but think this is something a significant-other would do. If Tobias had a wife or girlfriend, she would be the one here in this kitchen with him. But he doesn't. Instead, it's me here with him.

"That present was really great." he says, breaking me from my reverie.

I shrug and smile, still continuing to fill the empty plates.

"Thanks. I just wanted to do something different and creative." I say nonchalantly. But a part of me is relieved, and I cherish his compliment. "Do you think he likes it?" I ask, still feeling unsure if that would actually seem exciting to a 5 year old.

"Are you kidding? He loves it. And he already told me he wants you to help him make his first fort with it." he says, tossing the empty ice cream carton in the trash.

"He did not." I admonish, playfully kicking him in the butt with my knee as I walk behind him to get to the sink. The simple touch to his rear end, was meant to be playful, but I have to bite my lip as I begin to wash my hands. When done, I look around for a towel, but I don't see one. Before I'm even able to ask, he's handing me one fresh from the drawer.

"He did." he insists as I grab a couple plates in each hand to carry out for the others. "So, you're welcome to stick around for a little bit after everyone goes home, to build that fort. If you want." he says, grabbing a few plates as well and we walk to hand them out before he gives me a chance to reply.

The party continues to go well, and it's not surprising when people don't end up dispersing and heading home until around 8 o'clock.

Christina, Julia and I are the last ones here now, and we're helping to clean up the mess. Although it's not much, so it doesn't take us long.

Eventually, Christina and Julia end up going out on the back porch to talk about how Christina and Will really hit it off. But I think it's really their way of giving Tobias and I some alone time with Jack.

"Can we still build a fort daddy?" Jack asks.

"Sure, but it'll be bedtime soon. So how about you go get your pajamas on first, then Tris and I will meet you up there." Tobias says.

"Okay!" Jack eagerly replies and he jumps off the couch, taking along his new fort kit bag.

After we put away the cake leftovers, Tobias leads the way up stairs into Jack's bedroom. He has a twin sized bed in the corner, across from a small dresser. In the other corner, a comfortable looking chair and a small bookshelf. Beside that is a big toy chest. It's very boyish and adorable. I can imagine him having a lot of fun playing up here.

Tobias and I help stretch out the sheet, clamping it to the corner of his bed post, and the top handle of the tall dresser, but allow Jack to do lots of helping. We get other two corners tied up as well, then we turn on the flash light before turning out the bedroom light.

The flash light, along with night light in his room and the hallway light on, cause the room to still be fairly lit. So at least to we can still see each other, and see how to safely crawl into the fort. But Jack insists on trying out one of the glow sticks. So Tobias shows him how to crack it to get it started. He's very intrigued and excited with it, waving it around.

"Can we read one of my new books?" he asks.

Tobias looks to me, as if wanting to make sure I'm okay stick around for a few more minutes. I offer him a smile and hand him the small stack of books from beside me.

After letting Jack pick which one he wants to hear, he pulls him into his lap and then pats the carpet next to him where he leans up against the side of the bed. As it seems I'm requested, I scoot over and sit next to him, so that I can get a closer look at the book too.

Once I'm situated, he begins to read.

"Now it's Tris' turn." Jack says after Tobias reads the first page. "You have to take turns."

Tobias smiles and turns the book to face me more, and I read the text of the next page. Then he reads the next one.

We read the whole book that way, and it's not until the last page, that I notice Jack is fast asleep in Tobias' arms.

"Wow, I guess it's called a bedtime story for a reason." I comment softly so as not to wake him.

"Yeah, he's had a long day. Plus, that's how he falls asleep every night. To me reading to him." Tobias explains. "Julia has to do the same when he's at her house."

"He's so sweet." I say, gently running my fingertips through Jack's hair, to push it out of his face. Thankfully he doesn't stir, but I feel Tobias watching me.

"I know, I don't know where he gets it from." Tobias lets out a quiet chuckle at his words.

"Hey, you've always had a sweet side too." I encourage.

He offers me that sexy half smile, where only one side of his mouth goes up, then looks back down at Jack.

"Well, I better get him in bed." he says eventually.

"Yeah, I'll pull down the fort." I offer, crawling out of the fort and going for the corners of the sheet that are clamped. I then fold up the sheet to put back into his kit bag and turn off the flash light.

Tobias expertly stands from his cross-legged position on the floor, to standing, still with Jack peacefully asleep in his arms.

He pulls down the covers of his bed, and lays him down. Then he pulls the covers back up over him, tucking him in gently, and kisses his forehead.

We quietly make our way downstairs, but as we reach the bottom step, he stops me with a gentle hand to my wrist.

"Thank you again for everything Tris. It really meant a lot to us that you were here." he says, and he looks shy again.

"I'm glad I came too, thank you for having me." I tell him with a smile as I lean in to hug him. "Your family and friends are wonderful too."

As usual, our hug lasts longer than it does when we hug other people. We always seem to linger in each other's arms. As I enjoy the warmth of his strong arms around me, I inhale the scent of him, and let out a happy sigh.

"Can I see you again soon? I mean, I was thinking...if you're not busy tomorrow, Jack and I were going to see a movie in the afternoon...or, if you prefer, we could hang out just the two of us later in the week. I um, I asked Julia if she'll watch him for a few hours on Friday night...in case you'd be willing to go out to dinner with me."

"Like a date?" I ask, before I can stop myself. But the way he said it, and the slight nervousness I sense, leads me to believe that's what he's implying. At least I sure hope it is.

"Yes, a date." he says, and I see him gulp with anticipation of my answer. Is he really this nervous to ask me out? Does he think I'll say no?

"Okay." I say with a smile.

"Okay?" he says with a quickly growing smile. "To the date?" he reiterates hesitantly as if wanting to ensure he heard me right

"To both?" I ask, feeling somewhat shy now. Hopefully he's okay that I'm agreeing to both offers. But I can't help it, both sound appealing. And I've been finding myself craving his company more and more.

"Yeah, great, okay. That sounds perfect." he says, grinning now.

"Just call me in the morning and tell me when to be ready." I say.

"Alright, I'll call you in the morning." he confirms.

We got that agreed upon just in time, as we now hear Christina and Julia coming back inside and they come over to join us in the entry way that we now stand in.

"Ready to go baker?" Christina asks, calling me by the nickname she refers me to quite often.

"Yeah, I was just getting my purse and coat." I say, leaning behind her to get them from the coat rack.

Julia gives us each a hug goodbye, then Christina leans in to give Tobias one too. He reciprocates it, then leans to hug me again as if he didn't just a couple minutes ago. But this time, he kisses my cheek as well.

We share our final smiles, and head out the door.

As I make my way to Christina's car, I think about the tingling I'm feeling in my cheek where his lips touched just moments ago. The way his simple touch has made me totally giddy.

Along the ride home, we're surprisingly quiet. I'm thankful that she's not grilling me about the sexual tension between Tobias and me, like she always feels the need to point out.

But I think she knows she'd be teased right back, as I gave her knowing looks all evening at the sight of her and Will chatting it up. I don't think they left each other's side once since Tobias had introduced them to each other.

I begin to think about what a good time I had. It didn't just feel like I was at a friend's kid's birthday party. It felt like more than that. And I'm grateful for how welcome I felt and comfortable I was the whole time. It felt like I belonged.

Not only was it nice to be around Tobias for much of the day, but around Jack too. I was happy to be a part of his special day. Even before I discovered that he was Tobias' son, I had come to love the little guy. And now knowing he's his, makes it even better to me. I had kind of considered myself his surrogate aunt, as I had become such close friends with his Aunt Julia. But with the lingering thoughts of the possibility of Tobias and I becoming more than friends...well, that's a different story.

But surprising, the thought of that doesn't scare me at all.

Before I know it, she's dropping me off at my house and waving goodbye.

But that night, as I'm getting my pajamas on, I hear from her again. I knew it was too good to be true.

_Christina: "Look at the three of you..."_

Christina texts me, with an attached picture that she took at the party.

As I click on it to enlarge it, I see it's of Jack and his birthday cake, while we had been singing. She caught the moment that Tobias and I had been staring at one another, and apparently snapped this picture on her phone without us realizing it. But what surprises me more, is that we're to the left in the picture, and to the right, is Jack looking at us with a proud smile. This smart little 5 year old seems to have caught our moment as well, and by the looks of it, couldn't be happier. Which in a weird way, offers me relief. I think underneath, I had been worried about what he might think if I were to actually start dating Tobias. This picture gives me some sort of idea on how Jack perceives us, and what he thinks about us all hanging out together so much.

_Tris: Yeah, yeah, tease all you'd like. But check out this one..._

I say, attaching the photo I had snapped of her and Will sitting on the brick of the fireplace together. She's laughing at something he said and has her hand on his shoulder.

I knew I should have a back-up picture in case this happened.

_Christina: Hey, I'm not ashamed. You got yourself a hot firefighter. I want one too!_

_Tris: Goodnight Chris._

I text back with a laugh, hoping to cut the conversation off there.

_Christina: Nighty night._

_Christina: And you'll probably have some extra sweet dreams about you-know-who, so you better tell me all about them._

I roll my eyes at my friend, but think about how nice it might actually be to have some of the sweet type of dreams she's referring to.

My thoughts are caught up between that, and the fact that he and I have an actual date on Friday with Tobias.

**-/-/****-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Well, there you have chapter 3. What'd you think? **

**Sorry if it looks like I uploaded this chapter twice...I had someone point out my error of Jack's birthday (I had meant to put Sept.26th, not Jan.26th), so decided to go ahead and fix it and re-post it!**

**Also, not a whole lot of smut yet. But I assure you we're working towards that.**

**If you're interested in seeing the two picture collages I created to correlate with this chapter, check out my Tumblr: madisonr1129**

**I'll try to get Chapter 4 up next weekend.**

**Thanks for reading and**** for all the feedback on that previous chapter. I really appreciate it!****  
><strong>

**Also, thank you Ractre1127! You're the best!**


	4. Chapter 4

**-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

_**Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).  
>Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, etc. that I use. This is simply my fan fiction.<strong>_

**-/-/-/-/-Chapter 4-/-/-/-/-**

***October 2nd***

**~~Tobias POV~~**

"You going to be good for Auntie?" I ask Jack, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

He sits there patiently in his booster seat, his fort kit in his lap, and his over-night bag on the seat beside him.

Julia insisted he just stay the night at her house, since I'd be home so late anyway, he'd already be asleep. So I agreed to drop him off around 6:00.

"I'm _always_ good, dad." he says with a roll of his eyes. But he's smiling, knowing that I know he truly is very well behaved. But that I always ask him that when I drop him off at his Aunts house anyway.

When we arrive, I get him of his seat and walk him to the door. When she sees me, I can see her obviously look me up and down at my attire, which causes her to smile and attempt to hold back a laugh.

"What?" I ask, looking down at my clothes, then back up at her. "Does this look terrible?"

"No, you look fine." she says, finally letting out a small laugh. "I just knew you'd go with plaid, and your leather jacket." she explains.

"Should I not have? I didn't just want to wear a t-shirt. And I pretty much just have plaid button-ups besides that." I say, now regretting my apparently predictable outfit. I almost went shopping and looked for something new just for the occasion, but then got overwhelmed at the store and just left without buying anything.

"Toby, trust me, you look nice. I'm only teasing you. You're my brother after all, that's what I'm supposed to do." she says, but I just sigh.

"Stop worrying, you look good. And she's even commented to me before, how she always liked how you wore plaid shirts growing up. So she will dig it." Julia tries convincing me.

"What do you think little man?" I chuckle and ask Jack who stands there looking up at me, waiting for me to say goodbye before he goes off to play.

"She'll dig it." he says, agreeing with his Aunt, causing Julia and I to laugh.

"Okay, thanks bud." I tell him, lifting him into my arms to give him a bear hug. I kiss his head before setting him back down. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." he says.

"I love you." I tell him, ruffling his hair a bit.

"I love you too dad." he says, giving my leg one more hug, then running off towards his toys in the other room.

I bid Julia goodbye and begin to leave.

"Wait, when did she tell you about how she liked me in plaid shirts growing up?" I ask her, blocking the door from closing all the way behind me.

"When she and I went through her old photo albums yesterday." she says with a smirk.

My eyebrows raise in question, but she just shrugs and tells me to go have fun and pushes me out the door with an amused smile. "Go Camp Dauntless!" she shouts through the door after closing it.

I chuckle to myself as I head back to my car.

But as soon as I get back on the road and drive the 20 minutes towards her apartment, my nerves creep back up again.

Taking her along with us to the movies on Sunday went great, and we've seen her a few other times throughout the week. Even at one point, I stopped by Sweet Pea's on my way to pick up Jack after work, and she invited me to sit and eat with her on her lunch break. She just 'whipped up some panini's with leftovers' as she said, but they of course turned out to be amazing, and I enjoyed the impromptu lunch with her immensely.

But now that it's Friday night, and we're going out tonight together as planned, it's making me feel like I had about 10 shots of espresso instead of just the 2 that I actually had this morning.

The fact that I haven't been on an actual date in 6 years, makes it stressful enough. But the fact that it's with Tris, my dream girl, makes me even more nervous.

But when I knock on her door and she opens it almost immediately, standing there before me with that beautiful smile, my nerves subside. Just being in her presence has calmed me, and I'm reminded yet again, of the effect she has on me. She causes my heart to flutter in rapid excitement, but there's also a relief of comfort when I'm around her.

I take in the sight of her, in her dark green skinny jeans and black top, and her hair that hangs over her shoulders in silky waves.

"Hey you." she says, still smiling.

"Hey." I reply, but it comes out breathy. I clear my throat and try again. "Hey." I say more clearly, and she lets out a small melodic laugh as she leans in to greet me with a hug.

"You look beautiful." I tell her.

"So do you." she says, looking me over.

"I don't know if I've ever been called beautiful before." I reply with a chuckle.

"Oh, shush." she says with a playful shove. "You want to come in for a sec? I just have to put on my shoes and grab my jacket, then I'll be ready."

It's then that I realize I arrived 15 minutes earlier than I said I would. I guess I really was anxious.

"Yeah, of course, no problem." I say.

As I step inside, I take in my surroundings. Her apartment is on the smaller side, but she's used the space well. And it's got a lot of white and neutrals, giving it a very light and airy feel, yet still cozy.

"Would you like the grand tour?" she asks and I look at her. She smiles and takes my hand. But instead of leading me anywhere, she just spins me around slowly.

"How'd you like it? And you thought _your_ place was small." she reminds me with a laugh once she's spun me in a full circle.

I chuckle too, because she's so adorable.

"Ok, so your place is on the smaller side...but it's awesome. It's cozy, and feels like _you_." I say. And it's true. All her stuff and decor fits her taste just how I'd imagine.

She shrugs and smiles. "Yeah, at first it felt like living in a shoebox. I went from living in that 2-story house with roommates, to this little 400 square foot studio by myself. But I've made it feel like home. And the rental price is great, so I can't complain." she says as she sits on the couch to slip on her shoes.

"I think I'll skip my purse tonight." she says, pulling out her ID, some cash, and her house key. She tucks those in her pocket, then her phone in her other pocket, before grabbing her jacket. "Alright, I'm ready."

As we head down the sidewalk to my car, we pass a group of shady looking guys huddled near the alley beside her building. They seem to be minding their own business, but they still turn and look us up and down, seemingly wondering if we're going to be a threat to whatever they're up to. Which I'm guessing by the looks of it, is a drug deal. So I instinctually place a hand on the small of her back, ever so slightly pulling her towards me in a protective manner, as we make our way to my parking spot.

That's one thing I _don't_ care for about her apartment, is the location. It's known to be a crime filled neighborhood. I know she mentioned it was affordable, but I can't help but wish she lived someplace safer.

I open the passenger side door for her and she thanks me before slipping inside. I make my way around and get into the driver side, before revving up the engine.

"I still can't believe you're taking me to a concert." she says as I pull out onto the road.

"Is that okay? I mean, I know you like Arctic Monkeys." I say, glancing over at her as I hit a red light. I hope she didn't feel pressured, but I knew she liked them and when I saw tickets for sale, I decided to surprise her with them.

"Yeah, are you kidding? It's great! I'm definitely not complaining." she says.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it too." I say, stealing another glance at her before training my eyes back at the road.

Once we arrive to the pub we had decided to eat at before the show, we head inside and find a small intimate booth off in the corner.

"I always thought I'd take you some place fancy for our first date." I say with a nervous laugh, glancing up at her from my menu. Although this place feels like a higher-end style pub, and seems to have a good atmosphere and menu, I'm still apprehensive about it. I feel like I should have gone all out and taken her to Everest or Prosecco or something. Not that she's one to particularly care about eating at a super upscale place like that, she still deserves the best.

"Don't be silly. You know that all I care about is a comfortable atmosphere and tasty food. Plus, I've always wanted to try this place." she says, looking at the decor of the place before looking back over at me from where I sit across from her. I'm relieved to see a happy smile gracing her face.

After the server comes and takes our drink order, she purses her lips in amusement.

"Stop worrying so much, I can tell you're nervous." Tris says as she reaches across the table and takes one of my hands.

I instinctually lace my fingers with her soft delicate ones, and smile back at her.

"Sorry, I just- this has been a long time coming, ya know?" I say with a chuckle.

"That's true." she says with a light laugh.

"I uh.." I begin, looking down at our hands for a moment before I gain the courage to look back up at her and continue. "I had always wanted to officially take you out, as my date. Even later on, when Jack was a couple years old- a small part of me thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd see you again and possibly have that chance. But I remember one day, well- I kind of just lost all hope that day."

"How come? What happened?" she asks curiously.

"I saw a picture of you and Eric." I say.

"You did? How?" she asks, surprised.

"Long story short...I was hanging out with Zeke and he had his facebook page up. He was casually scrolling through, and I caught a glimpse of the picture, but didn't say anything" I say, recalling that moment when my heart felt like it had been stepped on. Even though I knew it had no right to.

"Apparently Zeke's friends with Christina on there? I don't really know how that whole facebook thing works. But anyway, when I got home that night, I looked up Chris' page since I knew you didn't have an account, and she really had posted a picture of you and Eric, with a whole group of people. Christina was holding your hand up showing your new engagement ring to the camera." I explain.

"The one where I'm in the blue dress?" she asks and I nod.

"I remember that picture. He had just proposed the weekend before, and we were out celebrating with friends. I was a bit grumpy that night because Christina was getting in full-force 'Christina mode', already talking food and dresses and colors for the wedding. When really, she was way too ahead of the game for me." she says. "I think I already knew something was wrong...I didn't know why I wasn't more excited to be getting married. I had only been engaged for a few days and was already second-guessing it."

"Well, at the time, I thought you looked pretty happy in that picture. And I knew I should have just been happy for you. I had no right to be jealous or angry or whatever. But it just felt like any hope I may have had went in the gutter. You'd be someone else's wife, and that was that." I say.

I have no idea why all these words are tumbling from my mouth. _Way to bring down the evening buddy._

She gives my hand a squeeze.

"Well, I didn't know you'd heard of my engagement. But our friends are much more social online than we are, so I really shouldn't be all that surprised." she says.

The waitress comes over and sets the drinks we'd ordered on the table, then asks if we're ready to order.

"I'll have the mushroom swiss burger with onion rings, please." she requests.

"And I'll have the blue-cheese burger and sweet potato fries." I decide.

The server smiles as she retrieves our menus, and says our food will be out soon.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get so serious and bring down the vibe." I chuckle after the server walks away. "I guess my point was, I'm really glad you agreed to come with me tonight. I've finally got my chance at an official date with Tris Prior." I add with a smile before reaching for my beer.

"Hey, it's okay. I like that we're open with each other. And I'd say the same- I finally got my chance at a real date with Tobias Eaton." she says with a bigger smile, picking up her beer glass and holding it up towards mine. "To our first date." she declares, waiting for me to clink her glass with mine in cheers.

"To our first date." I reply happily.

We clink them together and then pull them to our mouths to sip the frothy stout, while sharing a lingering look over the rims of our pint glasses.

"So, do you know who's opening for Arctic Monkeys?" I ask her.

"No, I didn't even think about that. Do you know who it is?" she asks.

"Yes." I reply simply, smirking, knowing she's going to like the answer.

"Well, who is it? Tell me!" she playfully scolds for withholding the information.

"The Lumineers." I say with a shrug.

She has her beer glass half way to her mouth, but at my reply, she sets it back on the table abruptly, sloshing it around slightly, but not spilling more than a couple drips. "Are you fucking serious?!" she asks with a laugh.

I grin and sip my drink again before explaining further. "I actually didn't know they were the opening act when I had bought the tickets, but it was a nice surprise when I heard it on the radio this morning."

"Well, that's awesome. Now I'm even more excited." she says with a grin.

Our food arrives shortly after, and we enjoy the amazing food while we talk some more. It's much more light-hearted now.

I love how much fun she is to be around, and how well this evening is going. I can't help but already hope she will agree to several more of these dates with me.

Once we're done there, we head over to the venue where the concert will be held.

We don't end up waiting long before the line begins to move forward. As we move amongst the crowd, I reach down and take her hand, hoping she'll allow it. I get a squeeze of her hand in response and I can see a small smile grace her face as we continue to move into the building. So I'll take that as a good sign.

We look around for a few minutes at the merch booths and pick up a second beer at the bar area and sit a nearby high-top table as we drink them down.

By the time our glasses are empty, we hear them doing sound check. So we make our way onto the main floor in front of the stage.

As we wait, we chat about the most recent concerts we've been to. And I'm not surprised that even with the newer bands, she and I still have very similar taste in music. We talk and laugh, and just enjoy this alone time together as the first band prepares to do their set.

Once the light dims, everyone knows the show's about to start, so the crowd packs in tighter.

By way of space, Tris kind of gets pushed in front of me. The crowd thickens and she backs up closer to me, her back pressed lightly against my chest.

My free hand instinctually goes down to her hip and keeps her close. I guess a part of me does it out of protectiveness as we stand shoulder to shoulder with so many people. I really don't want to lose her in the crowd.  
>But a part of me does it just because I simply enjoy the feel of being close to her like this.<p>

As the members of The Lumineers take the stage and begin playing 'Stubborn Love', she looks over her shoulder and smiles at me, obviously excited to be here and to hear them officially begin.

I smile back before she turns back to face the stage, where she moves her body gently with the rhythm.

By the second song, she's pressed even closer against me and she pulls my other hand to wrap around the other side of her waist. We move slightly with the music and I love how I'm close enough to take in the smell of her hair.

When they begin to play 'Ho Hey', and they sing the lyrics "You belong with me, I belong with you, You're my sweetheart", I can't help myself when I lean in slightly and kiss the right side of her head. In return, she looks up at me over her right shoulder with a soft smile. She looks so happy and joyful, and I love that I am the one that helped bring this joy to her. She's here with _me, _and I feel beyond lucky. As they repeat the chorus, we continue to sway slightly to the music as we gaze at each other for a moment, before we both lean in and brush our mouths together briefly.

The kiss felt like a whisper, a tease of what is yet to come. It felt like it was as light as a feather, but it was still enough pressure for me to enjoy her soft lips upon mine for a few seconds.

We pull away slowly as she continues looking up at me. She bites her lip and I smile back at her, hoping to convey how wonderful that was for me.

When she faces forward again, she leans a bit more into my arms and I relish being able to fully feel her relax into my embrace.

After their set, we go walk around a bit, take a bathroom break, and get another beer. Then we make our way back in time to see Arctic Monkeys start up.

They end up rocking the show as well, and it's obvious the audience is having a blast. I'm beyond happy with how this night has turned out, and glad that Tris seems to be having so much fun.

The show isn't over until about 11:30, and by the time I drop her back off at her house, it's around midnight.

I decide to be gentlemanly and walk her to her door.

"Thank you again for taking me, that was awesome. I had a really great time." she says once she gets her key out of her pocket.

"I did too, I'm glad you agreed to go." I tell her with a smile, tilting my head as I look at her, without realizing it.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she says, but she makes no move to unlock her door and go inside.

"Okay." I say, but then decide to take my chance. "I know technically I already got a first date kiss. But-" I continue, but she interrupts.

"Yes, you can kiss me again." she says, looking down for a moment afterwards, as if shy. Then she looks back up at me under those long lashes, and it makes me want to growl she looks so sexy.

So I pull her against me gently and then lean down and press my lips to hers. This kiss is more persistent than earlier. But it's still slow and sweet. I want to convey my feelings in the kiss, hoping she knows how special she is to me.

It's not long until I feel her fingers thread into the hair at the nape of my neck and despite my brain telling me not to try and take things too far tonight, I decide I need to taste more of her. I glide my tongue along her bottom lip and she immediately parts her lips to allow my tongue to meet hers. Our heads tilt more fully to deepen the kiss and I relish in the feeling of utter pleasure she brings me.

She walks backwards a few steps until her back hits the door, and I feel her other arm reach around me to grasp my back as she pulls me closer against her.

I'm almost completely hard when she does it, so I'm sure she can feel the firmness in my jeans against her. But I remember her saying she wanted to take things slow, so I slowly pull my lips from hers, resting my forehead on hers while we catch our breath.

"I've wanted to do that for so long." I say.

"Me too." she says, smiling widely.

"Well, I should get home. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Thank you again for going." I say.

"Yeah..." she begins, and although I see she's smiling, I can tell it's taking a lot of will power to turn and unlock the door. I have a feeling she doesn't want this evening to end quite yet either.

Once she gets it open she turns back to face me. "After our next date, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from asking you to stay over. So you may as we'll bring an overnight bag." she states bluntly. After the words leave her mouth, I can tell she enjoys the surprised look that takes over my face.

"Well, if you _insist_." I say, attempting to tease back. But I can't contain my smile as I lean in and kiss her briefly one last time for the evening.

"Goodnight Tris."

"Goodnight Tobias." she replies, and finally I begin to back away and she gives me one last wave before closing the door.

When I get home, I head straight for my bedroom and I pull my phone from my pocket, tossing it on the nightstand with my keys and wallet.

I flop down on my back on the bed, grinning to myself as I recall the best date of my life.

**-/-/-/-/-/-/- **

**A/N-**

**So there's chapter 4!  
>Unfortunately it wasn't as long as the first few chapters. I almost kept going, but it felt too much like Chapter 5 was starting. So I decided to stop it where I did. But Chapter 5 (which will hopefully be posted next weekend), might be a bit longer.<strong>

**Thank you for all your amazing feedback with that last chapter too. I love hearing what you have to say!**

**The picture collage to correlate with this chapter is now posted on my Tumblr:  
><strong>**madisonr1129**

**Ractre1127- A special thanks as always, for being so helpful and awesome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

_**A/N- Thank you SO much for all the great feedback so far, you're truly wonderful and appreciated!**_

_**Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content - which makes quite a comeback in this chapter).**_

_**Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, music, etc. that I use/refer to. This is simply my fan fiction.**_

**-/-/-/-/-Chapter 5-/-/-/-/-**

**"First and Last" **

**-Chapter 5-**

***October 24th***

**~~Tris POV~~**

"Seriously Julia, it's fine. I'll figure something out. I know you've been eager to get this interview. So if they called you to go in tomorrow, you have to go for it." I hear Tobias say to his sister who is on the phone.

I just remain seated next to him on his sofa with my legs curled under me with a blanket over my lap, my warm mug of hot cocoa warming my hands.

As I have often been doing lately, I spent the evening here at his house for dinner with him and Jack. After we got Jack to bed, instead of leaving, Tobias invited me to stay and watch a movie with him. Another habit we've been getting into.

We cuddled up on the couch together the whole time, seemingly always wanting to be in contact. We shared a few innocent touches and kisses, but when the movie ended, we shared a kiss that lingered quite a bit longer. Which isn't all that unusual these days either. But it doesn't make it any less sensational.

But tonight, he had laid me back onto the couch and hovered over me as we continued our languid kiss. Just as I had started to feel him press his hardness against me, his phone rang.

He ignored it at first. But a minute or two later, it began to vibrate on the coffee table yet again. So he sighed and decided to see it who it was. Since it was his sister, and she doesn't often call this late, he decided to answer in hopes of making sure everything was okay.

As he speaks to her, I wonder if she knows I'm here. Not that it matters, but my curiosity fills my mind. I guess she wouldn't expect me to be, especially since Tobias and I still haven't really discussed what we are to each other, or labeled our relationship in any way. So I don't think she realizes how close we've become. Unless Tobias _has_ told her? I guess I'm just not sure and shouldn't speculate. But I can't help my mind from wandering.

Tobias and I had originally mentioned we should take things slow, or at least that's what I had suggested. But we've still spent almost every day together, and our kisses have only become more regular since our first date. Although we haven't taken it any further than that yet, it's not because we don't want to. It's primarily because we haven't really had a chance for another actual date due to a lack of babysitter on his days off work. But that's okay, it's not just about sex.

I truly love hanging out with Tobias and Jack. In fact, I find that the more I hang around them, the more I'm growing quite attached to them.

I'm broken from my thoughts when I feel Tobias rest his hand on my knee.

"Sorry about that, I knew if Jules was calling this late, it'd be important."

"Oh, it's totally fine. Is everything okay?" I ask.

"She was just calling about canceling on watching Jack while I work these next 3 days. I know she felt guilty, especially on such short notice. But she got a call back this evening about that job interview like she's been waiting for, so I encouraged her to go." he says.

"The one for the newspaper journalist in Minneapolis?" I ask and he nods.

"Yeah, as much as it would suck to have her move away, I know she really wants it. And she'll probably get it, she's a very talented writer. So I told her to go, and that I'll figure something out. I'm sure my mom won't mind taking Jack for a few days, assuming she's back from her trip to Florida. Let me check my last text from her." he says, and I see his brows furrow as he scrolls through to his mother's text that explained when she'd be back to Illinois.

"I could just watch him." I blurt out. "I mean, that is- if you feel comfortable with me doing so." I continue, looking down into the chocolaty brown liquid in the white mug. I hold in my hands. "I know leaving your child with someone, especially for 3 straight days, is probably hard. It's a big step to trust someone like that. So I understand if you'd prefer me not to. But just know the offer is out there." I say, hoping he knows I'm truly more than happy to help, but that I'd understand if he doesn't want to trust me with that kind of responsibility yet. It is his son after all, it's not like I'm watching his dog or something.

"You'd really do that?" he asks, slightly surprised. But he doesn't seem opposed to the idea.

"Yeah, of course." I reply immediately.

His lip tugs up on one side, then the other, turning into a slow grin. "You'd watch Jack for three days straight while I'm at the station?" he reiterates.

"Tobias, you know I think Jack is great. He's very well-behaved, he's fun, and I would be more than happy to watch him anytime, and for as long as you need. I understand you have odd firefighter's hours, so you gotta do what you gotta do."

He leans over and kisses my temple, causing me to look up at him and give him a quick peck on the lips.

"I love the idea. But I want you to be you sure you don't mind. I mean, these are your two days off. Then what about on the third day when you have to work?" Tobias asks, still unsure. But he mostly seems concerned with it interfering with my schedule or life.

"Tobias, I wouldn't have offered if I minded. And I can just take him to work with me to the bakery. That's a perk of owning my own place." I smile and his hand blindly reaches for mine, finding it without trouble, before his fingers lace with mine. "Now, which house would you prefer we stay at? I mean, I guess your house would be easier, since all of his toys and stuff is here, and more space to play and run around. But I totally understand if it's weird to have me stay at your house, especially without you here. And I have no problem having him at my apartment-" I say, wondering which will be better.

"Tris, I trust you completely." he says, lifting my hand to his mouth so he can kiss my knuckles. "I trust you with my kid. With my house. All my stuff. My heart. Everything." he continues as he kisses my wrist. "Seriously, please don't think otherwise." he adds, as he reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

I smile back at him, touched by his sweet words. "Okay." I whisper.

"How about you just stay here and watch him, and you can stay the night tonight? I have to be at work super early anyway, you guys can both sleep in."

I'm slightly surprised by his offer, as we haven't had an opportunity for a sleepover yet. And I wasn't sure if or when he'd be up to that idea while Jack is home. But I guess Jack won't think much of it, considering Tobias has to leave early in the morning, and I'll be the one babysitting. But when I think about it... if Tobias and I become even more serious, I may spend the night more often. So I guess this is a good way to get Jack accustomed to me being here overnight. But where would I sleep? The couch? Tobias' bed?

"You want me to stay?" I ask, feeling the need to double check and maybe give him the chance to reconsider in case he wants to change his mind.

"Yes. I mean, I don't know if we should..._ya know._" he begins, running his free hand through his hair. "I mean as much as I want to, fuck- you have no idea how much I want to, Tris." he says with a shake of his head before continuing. "But especially for our first time back together like that again, I want to make it special. I think we should be home alone. No restrictions, or possible interruptions or anything."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed. I've been craving more of his touch like crazy. But he's right. And he's so sweet and wonderful to care like that. Not to mention how thrilling it is to hear him talk about how much he wants me too, and how he refers to it as 'when', not 'if'.

So I can't help but bite my lip as I smile back at him. He's seriously so sweet, it's ridiculous. My gesture seems to encourage the answer to his question as I see his smile grow.

"So you'll stay?" he asks.

"Yeah." I say and he smiles widely as he leans in to pepper kisses along my neck and collar bone. He works his way up to that sensitive spot behind my ear, before I feel his breath on me there as he speaks.

"Even if I don't get to make love to you tonight, I'm looking forward to sleeping with you in my arms."

I guess that's confirmation of where I'm sleeping. And my heart leaps for joy at his sweet comment.

As if on cue, I yawn. These bakers' hours have been catching up with me this week with all these late nights at his house.

"C'mon, let's get to bed. I'm sure you're tired after the day you had." he says, reminding me of the hectic day I had. Not only was I short one person in the front end of the bakery, but I had almost twice as many cake orders to fill than a usual weekend.

He rises from the couch and offers his hand to help me up. I follow him upstairs. We stop briefly at Jack's room where his door is cracked. The room is dark, except for the night light, which illuminates it just enough to see he's peacefully asleep.

I see a small smile on Tobias' face as he checks on his son, then he pulls the door mostly closed again. We pass the hall bathroom and the linen closet, until we make it to his master bedroom.

I've been in his room a couple times before, but that was once when I was helping him decide where to hang a new picture we picked up at a garage sale together, and the other time when he offered me his bathroom since the others were taken at the time.

This time, we enter the room together in preparation for sleep. So it's filling me a bit with anxiety, as well as excitement.

After we enter the room, he quietly closes the door behind us.

"I hope you don't mind if I keep the door unlocked. Jack always knows he can come in here if he has a nightmare or something." Tobias explains.

"Of course I don't mind." I say, leaning up to peck his lips. "Such a good daddy." I add.

He licks his lips and releases a breath of air, before smiling and turning towards his dresser. He pulls out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and hands them to me.

"Here, these should fit you well enough. Sorry I don't have anything smaller for you to wear." he says.

"No problem, these should be fine. You don't by chance have a spare toothbrush too, do you?" I question, figuring it doesn't hurt to ask.

"I do actually." he replies as if suddenly remembering this fact.

He goes into the medicine cabinet of his master bathroom and pulls out a multi-pack of toothbrushes, with only one missing so far. He plucks one out and hands it to me.

"For you." he says and then remembers to pull out the toothpaste and set it on the counter for me as well. "Feel free to use whatever else you want in here." he says, gesturing to his bathroom cabinets. "Or if you can think of anything else you need but don't find, let me know."

I smile at his sweetness. "Thank you."

He smiles and nods before retreating from the bathroom, pulling the door closed gently behind him to give me some privacy, which I find sweet of him.

I pull off my clothes and slip into what he gave me. I contemplate leaving my bra on. But since I'm anxious to get out of its strict confines, I decide to just take it off. It's not like Jack would even notice, if by chance he saw me dressed like this. And I have a feeling Tobias won't mind.

While I brush my teeth, I decide to open the cabinet door to my left with the intuition that it likely has towels in it. I'm thankful to find my instincts were correct, and pull out a small folded wash cloth so that I can wash my face.

When I'm done, I neatly fold my clothes and bring them back out with me. I see Tobias has turned off the main bedroom light, replacing it with the softer luminosity from the lamp that sits on his bedside table. He's pulling down the sheets, looking effortlessly sexy in boxers and a simple white t-shirt. Basically the same thing I'm wearing, but his fit him _just_ right, making my mouth practically water.  
>Whereas I stand here in a similar pair of his boxers that are rolled up so that they stay on my hips better, and his t-shirt that hangs loosely, exposing a little of my left shoulder.<p>

He turns to see me and smiles widely as he takes in the sight of me.

I could swear I see his pupils dilate and he takes a deep breath, as if to keep himself under control. He's been doing that a lot lately.

"It's going to be hard keeping my hands to myself." he says with a small exasperated shake of his head. "You look so fucking hot in my clothes." he adds.

I roll my eyes, which is what I often find myself doing in hopes to cover my blush. I'm still not used to all his compliments.

"Don't you roll those beautiful eyes at me." he says with a teasing tone. He climbs into the bed and lays down, resting his head on the propped up pillows. Then he holds the covers up on the other side, as an invitation to join him.

So I climb into the bed too, snuggling up next to him. I tuck myself under his arm and lay my head on his t-shirt clad chest.

"You smell good." he says.

"You don't have to say things like that ya know... all the compliments and stuff. You've already successfully _wooed_ me or whatever." I say with a soft chuckle. But my cheeks heat up again, because I almost let it slip that he doesn't have to say stuff like that because I've already _fallen_ _in love with him._

"I know I don't have to." he replies. "But you see Tris..." he continues, pausing as he reaches down for my chin to lift my face so that our eyes can meet.

"I've known since I was 9 years old, that you're the most amazing and gorgeous girl I've ever known. And what it comes down to, is that I spent too many years withholding my compliments and feelings for you. So I feel like I better speak my mind, now that I've actually got you back. So I hope you get used to it." he says with that sexy smirk. But there is also so much seriousness and love behind his words. And maybe even a little bit of vulnerability. But the way his eyes look deeply between my own, makes my heart rate increase. _And my panties wet._

He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he drops his mouth to mine.

His lips brush mine briefly before he tugs on my bottom lip. He nibbles it, then swipes his tongue along it. I can't take the teasing anymore, so I press my tongue to his and tilt my head to gain better access.

"I thought we decided we shouldn't _do _anything tonight..." I manage to get out, but making no effort to stop his mouth from trailing along my neck.  
>I really am trying to pull him from his onslaught of kisses on my skin before we take it too far. But it's proving to be extremely difficult.<p>

"We shouldn't." he agrees, but keeps kissing his way over my collar bone, over each of my raven tattoos.

"You're not making it very easy for me to stop you." I say, but it turns into a muffled moan as I feel his hand begin to trail its way up my shirt and then tentatively caresses my bare breast. I hear something like a growl emit from his throat and it makes me whimper, almost ready to beg for more.

"I guess I am getting kind of carried away." he says, pulling away slightly and looking down at me from where he's propped up on one elbow. The soft glow from the lamp light reflects against his features beautifully, showing me the details of his handsome face.

"Me too." I reply with a smile, hoping to convey how badly I want him, but that I also understand the situation.

"Julia offered to watch Jack overnight on Thursday, when she gets back into town." he says with hopefulness.

"Are you already inviting me for another sleepover?" I tease.

"Indeed I am. Especially with not being able to see you for three days straight, it will be a very welcome sleepover." he says with a mischievous smile.

"Okay, I'll be sure to keep my Thursday night free then." I say with a grin.

He grins back at me and gives my lips a sweet kiss before laying his head down on his arm.

He still watches me, a small thoughtful smile on his face. I remain laying on my back, but with my head turned towards him. I slowly close my eyes, finding it harder and harder to keep them open. But I guess that's expected after being awake for the last 20 hours. But I feel his eyes on me.

"What are you thinking?" I ask quietly.

He's quiet for a moment before he replies.

"How amazing it is that one friend can change your whole life." he says, and I guess that could be for better or worse. But he says it with such positiveness, that he's obviously insinuating the change was for the_ better._

I smile and open my eyes a little, needing to look at his face one more time before I drift off to sleep.

"I know exactly what you mean." I reply softly with a smile.

Once I close my eyes again, I hear the smile in his voice as he tells me goodnight and kisses my forehead.

**-/-/-/-**

***The next morning - 6:30am***

"Well you're up early." Tobias greets me from where he stands in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee into a travel mug. He's already showered and dressed in his work pants, boots, and Chicago Fire Dept. shirt.

I pad my way over wearing the boxers and shirt I wore to bed, but I have since added a pair of his socks on my feet since they were cold. I go and sit on the barstool at the small counter, offering him a tired smile. "Yeah, I guess this is kind of like sleeping in for me. Baker's hours and all." I say, referring to my usual 4am wake-up time.

He pulls a clean mug from the cabinet and pours me a cup too. Adding just a splash of milk, just like I like.

He sets it in front of me and comes to stand in front of me, essentially spreading my legs to stand between them.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asks, running his hands up and down my thighs.

"The best I have in years." I admit.

"Me too." he says with a smile. "Thank you again for watching Jack. He's going to be really excited when he wakes up to find you here." he tells me, hugging me to him. I happily reciprocate.

"I already told you, I'll be happy to watch him anytime." I remind him and I feel him tighten his arms around me even more.

"When does he usually wake up?" I ask.

"Depends on when he went to bed, but usually around 7 or 8. So pretty soon."

"Okay, I figure we'll go get some breakfast. Then head to my house to get some clothes and stuff for the next few days."

"Sounds good. Hey, let me borrow your keys and I'll put his booster seat in your car."

After he does that, he goes and gives Jack a kiss on the forehead and tells him goodbye, even though he hasn't woken up yet.

He reminds me I'm welcome to shower and to help myself to whatever else is in his house, before giving me a lingering hug and kiss.

Once he leaves, I decide I will go for a shower. So I use the one in his master bedroom. When I'm done, I throw my jeans back on, but borrow another one of Tobias' clean shirts.

I braid my wet hair and head downstairs to read until Jack wakes up.

It's not more than 10 minutes before I hear him run down the stairs.

"Auntie?" he calls out, heading towards the kitchen where he gets a plastic cup out of the lower cabinet and begins filling it with water from the dispenser on the front of the fridge.

"Actually, it's me. Auntie Julia had to go out of town for a job thing. So I'll be staying here with you while Daddy's at work." I say, standing from the couch to join him.

I wave of relief washes over me when he looks elated with that news.

"We have to run a few errands, but we can go out to breakfast, and maybe to the park, if you'd like." I say.

"Yes please!" He exclaims with a huge grin.

**-/-/-/-**

Just after 3pm, we pull up to the fire station Tobias works at.

I had recently received a call from him, explaining he couldn't find his cell phone, and thought maybe it fell out of his pocket in my car when he put Jack's booster seat in there. Which turned out to be correct. So I offered to drop it off for him.

Once I park, I unbuckle Jack and help him out of the car.

We've had a fun morning, consisting of breakfast at Johnny's Diner, then we swung by my house so I could grab my stuff for the next few days. After that, we went to the park to play, before finally going grocery shopping. We bought all sorts of food to cook up some good meals throughout the week.

Once all the groceries were unloaded at their house, I had him help me make a batch of gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It's a recipe I thought up the other night before falling asleep, and decided to give it a try. He thought it was great when I revealed I had bought him a kid-sized apron so he could officially be my helper.

So when we found out we'd be making a visit to the fire station, we decided to bring some of those cupcakes to share. After all, we couldn't eat 2 dozen of them all by ourselves.

I'm a little nervous as I approach the building, hoping I don't get Tobias in trouble or embarrass him or something. I walk up the driveway, Jack's hand in mine.

I see Uriah first, who is sweeping out the engine garage. He sports that big silly grin and waves us over. "Well, well, well...what do we have here?" he asks us as we approach, eying the cupcakes in my other hand.

"Came to drop off Tobias' cell phone. As well as some treats." I say.

Then out comes Will and another man I don't recognize.

"Hey Four- Tris and Jack are here." Will shouts through the open door leading into the building.

Within moments, I hear boots bounding down the stairs and out comes Tobias. He smiles brightly at us, obviously happy we ended up stopping by while he was here and not out on a call.

He approaches us and Jack pulls from my hand to jump into his father's arms.

"Hey there bud." Tobias says as he lifts him proudly into his arms. He then looks to me and leans in for a quick kiss.

The man I don't recognize, approaches us with a friendly smile.

"Hey George, this is my girlfriend, Tris Prior. And you've met my son, Jack." Tobias says, placing a hand on my arm as if proudly introducing me.

"Tris, this is our Fire Chief, George Wu." he says.

I smile kindly and return his hand shake.

Did Tobias just say _girlfriend_? I wish I could contain my smile a little more, I don't want to come off as creepy. But I can't help it. Hearing him call me that is too thrilling. And it doesn't help when I see Will and Uriah behind George's back, both smirking at us.

"Call me George." he insists.

"It's nice to meet you." I reply.

"You own Sweet Pea's, is that right?" George asks.

"Yes, I do. In fact, Jack and I were just trying out a new recipe and brought some to share." I say, lifting the tray of goodies. "They're cinnamon gingerbread cupcakes. I'm thinking of adding them to the menu for the holiday season."

"Yep, she's a keeper." George says to Tobias with a wink and a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you Tris, we are more than grateful to accept your offerings." he adds, taking the tray of cupcakes from me.

"Can I sit in the fire engine daddy?" Jack asks Tobias. Tobias looks to George, as if asking permission. I see him offer a subtle nod in reply.

"Yeah, just for a few minutes, okay?" Tobias tells Jack.

"Okay." he replies with an excited smile. "C'mon Tris, you have to come with us." Jack tells me.

Tobias leads the way over, and helps Jack into the front seat of the fire engine. He sits there and puts his hands the wheel, pretending to drive.

Tobias then insists I go get in the passenger's seat, also known as the Captain's seat.

I chuckle, but do it anyway. Once I'm in, Tobias stands back and takes a picture of me and Jack together in the front seat of his fire truck together.

I laugh, since that was something I wasn't expecting. But that only results in him taking another picture.

Tobias reminds Jack where the button is for the lights on the top of the engine, but tells him we can't do the siren since it's too loud. Jack is of course beyond happy anyway.

Over the next 15 or so minutes, we're shown around the engine bay and station for a brief tour, and I'm introduced to a couple of other people.

But I know he needs to get back to work, so Jack and I reluctantly say goodbye.

Again, Tobias doesn't hesitate to kiss me before we leave. But this time, it's right on the lips.

Which causes Jack to giggle.

**-/-/-/-**

***Thursday, October 29th - 10pm***

"So, this was a nice surprise." I say, sipping the last of the wine in my glass before placing it on the table next to my empty dinner plate.

For our evening alone tonight, Tobias arranged to borrow Zeke and Shauna's vacation home on the lake for tonight and tomorrow, so that we'd have a little private overnight trip of our own.

Once I had found out about his nice gesture, I called and switched shifts with Tori, my other cake decorator, so that I didn't have to worry about being to work at 5am the next morning.

"Yeah, they've offered to let me use this place anytime I want, but really only ever had a reason to come out here unless it was with our big group of friends." he says.

"Well, you're very sweet to think of bringing me here." I say, standing to bring our dishes to the sink. He follows me over though and tries to take over.

"This is supposed to be relaxing for you, so go sit." he says, coming up behind me and kissing my cheek, and attempting to take over clean-up duty.

"You made dinner,_ you_ go sit while I clean these up real quick." I counter back. But he just lets out a chuckle and kisses my cheek another time, before reaching for a towel and drying and putting away the dishes as I wash them.

It only takes us a few minutes before we're done, and just as I'm drying my hands off, I turn around and face him.

After placing the leftovers in the fridge, he turns to face me as well, and we both smile at each other. He takes the few steps towards me and takes my face in both of his hands, before pressing his lips firmly to mine.

He pours so much passion and emotion into the kiss, I feel like my legs might give out at any moment.

I feel him lift me, and my legs instinctually wrap around his waist. He doesn't break the kiss as he attempts to make his way towards the master bedroom.

We fumble our way through the house until we get there, kissing each other's faces and necks, until we finally make it to the giant king sized bed.

He playfully tosses me onto it. "Stay right there, I'll be right back." he says.

I'm confused at first, but then he returns with the two candles that we had lit on the dining room table. He sets one on the side table, and the other on the dresser, giving the room an intimate ambiance.

"Such a romantic." I say in a teasing manner, but really, I find it extremely sweet.

He just smiles and approaches the bed that I sit on the edge of. He sits beside me, but then pulls me up to stand in front of him.

His fingers inch down to the hem of my sweater as he looks up into my eyes. He pulls it upward, removing it from my body.

He pauses with his hand running the length of my arms as I lean down to kiss him. Then I feel him reaching around and unclasping my bra, before pulling it off slowly and allowing it to drop to the floor. A moan escapes his throat as he gently caresses my breasts, my nipples pebbling under his gentle touch.

I reach down to remove his shirt as well, before his hands drift down to my hips. Ever so slowly, he unbuttons and unzips my jeans, and pulls them down, deliberately running his hands along the sides of my legs as he goes.

Once I stand before him in only my panties, I say a silent thank you to Christina for insisting on our recent visit to Victoria's Secret. The black and white lacy thong that matched the bra that just came off, definitely makes me feel a little more confident than my usual simple cotton underwear.

His hands find mine as he locks eyes with me again.

"You're so sexy." he whispers as he places a tender kiss on my finger and then moves his mouth downward to kiss my hand.

"So are you." I pant, watching him intently as he continues to make a path of kisses across my forearm and all the way to the crook of my elbow, and then turns upward, showering my skin in succulent kisses until he reaches the top of my shoulder. He gives it an affectionate suck and his tongue rolls out along my skin. The sensation of his breath drives a shiver through my body and I place a hand on his shoulder to keep from falling down.

His hands then run along my stomach, and he begins to plant tiny kisses on my midsection. I tilt my head back and can't help a moan as he kisses me, moving his hands to my nearly bare ass and squeezing the cheeks.

He then slides his hands to either side of my hips, tucking his fingers underneath the thin side string of my underwear and slowly pulling them all the way down to the floor.

"Fuck, you're perfect." he says gruffly before placing a few kisses on the top of my soft mound.

I sense his discomfort in still wearing his jeans, and before I even have a chance to try and remove them, he's standing and taking care of them himself.

His jeans and boxers are off in seconds and then there's no pause, no decision to be made, no slow approach. He moves in, his mouth consuming mine.

His tongue sweeps out against my lips and I let him in, beg him in.

He fills my mouth, stroking the most sensitive spots as his hand trails its way down between my legs, sliding his fingertips through my wet folds.

I'm glad we're out here alone at this lake house, because I can't hold back the loud moan that escapes as his mouth slants over mine again, while he simultaneously slips a finger in. Followed shortly by another.

I arch into him, bringing my whole body in closer contact with his, attempting to press every inch of us together. He makes a sound like a growl and my body strums with pleasure at the sound of it. It's a heady feeling, that power, and I know I will do whatever needed to hear it again.

As he continues to kiss me, he turns and lays me down gently, hovering over me, not once breaking our kiss.

"I love the sounds you make." he says, his lips traveling to my neck and behind my ear, lingering in the exact spot where he knows I like it most.

It's then that his fingers search for me yet again, and before I know it, he's pumping those two fingers into me until my legs tremble.

But it's only moments later that I'm brought to ecstasy, and pulsating against his hand as I catch my breath.

He gently pulls his hand away and leans on his elbows above me, continuing his sweet kisses along my shoulders and neck, letting me recover from that intense orgasm. But as soon as I feel _it_ brush up against me, and I feel how hard and ready he is for me, I decide I don't want to wait any longer.

"Please...I need you." I practically whimper, but I don't care. I want him so much that I feel like I physically ache for him to be inside of me.

"Okay." he says gruffly.

He pulls back and leans down to reach into his overnight bag on the floor, and pulls out a condom. In record speed, he's got it unwrapped, rolled on, and is hovering back over me.

He kisses me once more before looking into my eyes as he slowly presses into me.

His eyes fall shut as he sinks in completely, only to have them flutter back open and reveal the intensity of his pleasure of being connected with me. And we both know it's not just from the physical connection, but the emotional one too.

He remains unblinking for the first few strokes, just watching me in amazement. Until his eyes drop down to my lips, and he leans down to capture them again. Both of our eyes fall shut then, succumbing to the sensations that strum through our bodies as they unite.

We move together, as one. Kissing, loving and caressing each other- every step of the way.

It's somehow just as wonderful as I remember, yet somehow even better. I knew I shared something with him and only him. This connection, this love, which I could never have with someone else. I've known it all along. But being with him like this, just proves it even more. And heightens those thoughts and emotions that I feel, bringing out the reminder that I want to tell him how much I love him. But a part of me fears it's too soon to reveal those feelings. I don't want to scare him away.

But even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to. Because I don't think it's possible for any comprehensible words to escape my mouth right now as he thrusts deeply inside of me, bringing me closer and closer to my peak yet again.

His pace becomes more frantic and I know he can't hold on much longer. But neither can I. So I reach my hands to cradle his face and kiss him soundly, until he blissfully pushes me over the edge.

His own release comes as we arch against each other, climbing with each wave until we collapse, shuddering into a heap of sweaty limbs and deep satisfaction.

After a few minutes of smiling, kissing and giggling in our post-orgasm haze, he gets up to remove the condom and clean up. I think about getting up too, but I'm heavily re-considering my ability to walk right now.

But not to worry, I happen to have the sweetest boyfriend ever. He returns shortly with a glass of water since he assumes I'm thirsty, and a warm wash cloth for me to clean up with.

It's not long before we're wrapped up under the covers, spooned together, and heading quickly towards what I know will be a wonderful and restful night of sleep.

Turns out I'm correct.

We're so well-rested, that we go for round two in the shower the next morning. Then round three a few hours later.

It was an amazing spontaneous mid-week overnight trip, to say the least.

**-/-/-****/-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**Thank you again for all the great feedback so far, you're awesome! I'm so baffled and beyond thankful for all the reviews, follows and favorites.**

**The picture collage that correlates with this chapter will be posted on my Tumblr this evening- madisonr1129**

**How do you feel about the way I'm going back and fourth between the point-of-view of Tris and Tobias each chapter? ****In my past stories, I sporadically went between the two, depending on how I wanted to play out the chapter. But for this story, I wanted to challenge myself and try to keep the pattern going back and fourth in each and every chapter. Anyway, I was curious of your thoughts on that!**

**Chapter 6 should be up in a week or so.**

**And in case it's not up by Saturday- Happy Valentine's Day! **

**-Madison**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N-**_

_**Wow, you are all so sweet and wonderful with your reviews! I truly appreciate the feedback!**_

_**Glad it seems many of you like the back and fourth with the POV. I'll continue doing it that way.**_

**_This chapter has lots of time skips. But I decided I wanted to write little drabbles from several random occasions over Tobias' next couple months, all of which just cause him to realize even more, how much he truly cares for Tris, and how much closer they grow together as an unofficial family._**

**_The picture collage to go with it will be posted on my Tumblr soon. You can find me at: madisonr1129_**

**_Let me know what you think!_**

_**Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).**_

_**Also, I of course do not own any rights to Divergent, it's characters, or any of the brand names, pictures, music, etc. that I use/refer to. This is simply my fan fiction.**_

**-/-/-/-/- "First and Last" -/-/-/-/-**

**-Chapter 6-**

**~Tobias POV~**

***November 14th***

"Mmm..." I moan throatily with appreciation as I enjoy the first bite of the meal Tris has made us this evening. The hearty chicken and vegetable filling and the buttery flaky crust warms me from the inside. "You're amazing." I tell her.

"Yeah, you cook really good." Jack agrees as he also enjoys his homemade chicken pot pie as well.

The three of us sit around my small dining room table, enjoying yet another wonderful relaxed evening together. I have light music playing in the background and I see Tris swaying her head gently to the beat.

I love how no matter if we go out, stay here at my place, or hang out over at Tris' apartment, we always seem to enjoy each other's company just hanging out. And I'm so thrilled and thankful that she seems to enjoy having Jack around all the time too.

It all feels so natural- almost like a family.

"Thanks. I like cooking for you guys." Tris says, blowing on her own fork full of food before taking the bite.

We continue to eat and make small talk, but I remember what I wanted to ask her about upcoming plans.

"So, it seems you have a birthday coming up, am I right?" I ask Tris, even though I'd never forget that her birthday is November 20th.

"Yes, that may be true." she says, a smirk on her face.

"Well, I don't know if you have any ideas on how you'd like to spend it...but I'd like to at least claim one day around then to spoil you." I say, not wanting her to feel like she has to spend her actual birthday with me and only me. Especially if I can't get a baby sitter for Jack. Plus, I assume she might like to get together with Christina and her other friends.

"Oh! We could go see a movie. Or go to the arcade? Or the lake? You love picnics." Jack says all in one breath.

I hadn't considered mentioning her birthday in front of Jack. But I guess I wasn't really expecting his level of excitement and assumption of being involved in her birthday either. I know he loves Tris, but aren't kids usually just excited for their own birthday? It's cute that he wants to be a part of it though. I'm just not sure to what extent she'll want to involve him that day.

I think of saying something to Tris, to remind her that she should pick to do whatever she wants.

But she speaks before I have a chance to, and she doesn't even seem to think twice about her answer. "You're full of good ideas." she says, smiling back at Jack. "I'll tell you what- as long as I get to spend my birthday with you and your daddy, I'll be happy as can be." she says.

The look of genuine admiration is obvious as she continues smiling at my son, reaching over with her napkin to wipe some of the crumbs from his chin.

His expression mirrors hers, as he's even more pleased by her response than when he had come up with the birthday ideas in the first place.

_As if I couldn't fall for this girl even more._

"If that's okay with you." she adds as she looks to me, a playful smile on her face. "But seriously, no need to spoil me. Just take me out for ice cream or something."

"You sure?" I ask softly, hoping she's not agreeing to this out of feeling obligated or guilty. "What about celebrating with everyone else?" I add.

"Maybe we can go out to celebrate with our friends the day before or after or something. Because I know Christina will insist on dragging me out anyway. But on November 20th, I just want to be with you two." she insists.

"Both of us?" I ask, an appreciative grin on my face. It means so much to me that she wants to involve Jack so much in her life.

She nods, smiling back at me.

"Okay, well that sounds like a plan to me. But just be aware, we're not just taking you out for ice cream. So clear your whole day. Or maybe just your whole week. Whatever you prefer." I say, now also excited at the prospect of being able to do something special and fun for her. "We'll surprise you." I say, looking to Jack, only to see that adorable grin on his face. He's practically wiggling in his seat with excitement.

***November 16th***

"Just sit. I'll make you a coffee and bring it over." Tris says, after I look over her espresso machine quite confused. I can work a coffee maker, but have never used something this fancy.

"Are you sure? At least let me help."

"Don't be silly, it'll only take me a couple minutes. You want a latte?" she asks.

"Yes please, thank you." I say, then she pushes me towards her sofa, telling me to sit and take it easy.

From there, I watch Jack play the Wii and smile when he laughs at himself for doing silly things with his characters.

Tris returns a couple minutes later with a latte for each if us, and hot chocolate for Jack.

I look down at my mug and see that she's carefully poured the steamed milk, drawing a heart.

She sits down beside me, and I look at her with a big smile.

"You don't even know how creative you are." I say, looking back into those eyes that sparkle.

My eyes drift down to look down at her mouth, taking in the sight of her soft supple lips, before leaning in to kiss her. Even if it's short and sweet, I need it. I always feel like I can only go so long without kissing her.

But before I make it that far, Jack turns around and startles us.

"Tris?" he asks from where he sits on the floor of the living room, the Wii remote still in his hand.

"Yeah?" she asks, slipping down on the floor next to him.

"What's your favorite food?" he looks at her curiously.

"_That_, is a hard question." she says as she leans back, resting her palms on the floor behind her. She tilts her head to one side, obviously trying to decide the answer.

"It depends on my mood, and the weather, and what's in season-" she begins, but Jack looks a little lost at her explanation, and maybe even a little amused. She chuckles and begins to name a few things. "Pizza is definitely a contender. But then there's Belgian waffles. And I love your daddy's beef stew." she continues.

He smiles, but then he furrows his eyebrows as if in a deep thought. He's completely neglecting his video game now, solely focused on Tris.

"What's your favorite food that's easy, like that you don't have to cook." he asks next, as if clarifying his earlier question.

"Hmm...I think I'd have to say, cereal. Especially with sliced strawberries in it, or blueberries. But I'll pretty much eat any kind, I just love all cereal." she says, and I smile to myself from my seat on the couch behind them. I remember how she always loved cereal, she could eat it any time of the day.

"What's _your_ favorite?" she asks him.

"Cake!" he replies with a grin. "And daddy's BBQ burgers. And your rav-oli's." he tells her.

I chuckle to myself at how he says ravioli.

"You want me to make them for you soon?" she asks him.

"Yes!" he replies happily.

"Will you play Wii with me now?" he asks, now remembering what he was doing a few minutes ago.

"Of course I will." she agrees.

***November 19th***

"There's the birthday girl!" I hear Julia exclaim from the vicinity behind me, before she joins us at our table.

"Hey Jules." Tris says as she stands from her seat to hug my sister in greeting.

"Sorry I'm late. I came straight here from the office." Julia explains, taking a seat with us.

Julia did indeed get offered that job in Minneapolis. However, that same day, she also got offered a position with the Chicago Tribune, which she jumped on. She was not expecting a call back from them, considering she was sure that she flopped in the interview. But she was more than happy to accept once she got the call, especially considering she doesn't have to move 7 hours away now. But still, she's been busy, we've been busy, and I think it's been a week or two since we've seen her. So it's nice to have her be able to join us tonight as we celebrate Tris' 25th birthday at one of her favorite restaurants.

Also here with us are Christina and Will, _who came here together, _as well as Zeke, Shauna, Uriah and Marlene. This seems to be our main group of friends to hang out with these days.

"Hey don't worry about it, they only just took our drink orders." Tris replies.

"Oh good, I'm starving." she says, placing her coat on the back of her chair. "So how is everyone?" Julia asks, before facing me specifically. She reaches out and pinches my cheek as her greeting to me. "Has my brother shown you a good birthday so far?"

"Yes, he definitely has." Tris says, pinching my other cheek. But her pinch in softer, and it turns more into a caress of my face that I instinctually want to lean into.

"He made her breakfast in bed." Shauna chimes in.

"Fresh squeezed orange juice and everything." Marlene adds.

Zeke and Uriah exchange a look, then their eyes shoot to me.

"Way to set the bar dude." Zeke says.

I shrug and smile amusedly at my friends as I continue reading my menu. They can whine or tease me all they want. I had fun making Tris breakfast in bed. I would be happy to make her breakfast in bed as often as she'd like.

And I really want her to enjoy a fun and relaxing birthday week, especially as we approach the busy holiday season, where I know she'll be extra busy at the bakery.

"What did he get you? I don't know if he's ever bought a girl a present before. Well, besides for me or our mom."

"She doesn't get her presents 'til tomorrow." I say, smiling at Tris, who raises her eyebrows with a curious look.

"Why's that?" Julia asks.

"Because tomorrow is her actual birthday." Christina chimes in.

"Ah, I see...so any big plans for tomorrow then?" Julia asks, a teasing smile on her face.

"Tobias and Jack have something planned for me." Tris says, looking back at me with a smile as she bends down to sip from her straw, looking up at me through those long lashes.

"Aw, you guys are so cute!" Christina says, lifting her phone to take a picture of Tris and me. She gets one, but Tris is shy and leans into me, burying her face into my shoulder. I put my arm around her and hold her against me, more than happy to have her so close.

"You're just enhancing the cuteness." Marlene says and Shauna nods in agreement.

I just smile and kiss the top of her head as I reach for the menu. I hold it up, blocking Tris' and my face from the others. She looks up at me with a smirk, giving me a quick kiss before I hold the menu more upright and ask her what she'd like to order.

***November 20th***

I slowly wake up from the sun shining through the crack of the blinds. My eyes flutter open from where I lay on my back and I look to my left, where Tris remains sleeping next to me. She's on her side, facing me. Her arm wrapped around mine, with her face nuzzled into my shoulder.

I love how well she fits here in my bed with me, so comfortable and content.

But then I hear noises downstairs, coming from what seems to be the kitchen. I decide I better see what Jack's up to, so I carefully disentangle myself from Tris and kiss her forehead before getting up.

Once I make my way into the kitchen, I see that he has pulled a chair over to the kitchen counter, which he is currently climbing onto as if trying to get into the upper cabinet.

"Jackson Alexander Eaton, what do you think you're doing?" I ask him, swooping in to pull him off the counter.

"I need a bowl." he says.

"Why, are you hungry?" I ask, glancing at the clock on the wall to see it's only 6am. He's not usually even up this early, let alone hungry at this hour.

"No, I'm making Tris breakfast. It's her birthday today." he tells me, pointing over to the other counter where he's pulled out the box of cereal, as well as some milk and the carton of blueberries.

I smile at him, proud that he's so thoughtful and caring, even at such a young age.

"Okay, but no climbing on the counters, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay. Will you help me get a bowl?" he asks.

"Of course." I reply, setting him at the table and going to retrieve a bowl. "Should we make her Belgian waffles too?" I ask and his face lights up.

So we cook. I set him up on the counter and measure the ingredients as listed off the recipe I googled. I let him pour the ingredients into the bowl and do the stirring.

I've always been one to involve him, letting him be my 'helper' as he likes to be called. But it used to happen more with small projects around the house.

However, when he wants to help me cook now, I find it much easier to involve him in it. I've been able to find a good way to have him help with certain things, after watching Tris with him so much. I was always afraid to have him around the oven and stove, and the knives and stuff. Which I still am. But she's demonstrated -on multiple occasions-, how to have a youngster help out with the right tasks in the kitchen, without any injuries or too much mess. She's quite a natural with him, as she continues to prove to me every day. I find myself constantly learning from her, and admiring her all the more for it.

I'm glad that it's been so comfortable to have her over so often, and to even have her stay overnight while Jack is home. He doesn't seem to think twice about it, even though no other girl has ever stayed the night here before besides maybe Julia on the couch occasionally.  
>He loves having Tris here as much as I do. And always complains when she says she has to go home for the night.<p>

I want to complain when it comes to those nights too. Because the nights she's here, are my favorite days of the week. And when she's not here, it definitely doesn't feel right. It's like our home is missing something. _Or rather,_ _someone_.

Yes, there are nights when Jack's been asleep for a while, that we lock the door for a while so that we can have some of our more 'grown-up' time together._ Quietly of course._

But there are also many times where we just talk, or read, and simply snuggle up and get a good early night's sleep together.

I love all of it.

I smile to myself as I think about how maybe one day she'll just move in permanently. When would it be appropriate for me to bring that up?

"Happy Birthday Tris!" Jack exclaims, breaking me from my reverie.

I turn from the waffle maker to see Tris padding into the room wearing her dark grey snowflake clad long sleeved thermal pajamas. Even with most of her skin covered like that, she looks like the perfect mixture of adorable and sexy.

"Thank you Sir, and good morning to you." she replies to Jack, coming over to the counter where he sits in front of me. She kisses the top of his head, then looks up to me sweetly, silently asking me for a kiss as well.

I happily oblige and lean down to give her a short, but sweet, innocent kiss on the lips.  
>We're always careful to not take it too far in front of Jack. But we don't hold back from being affectionate either.<p>

"Are you hungry?" Jack asks her with hopefulness in his tone.

"I'm starving, how come?" she plays along, even though she obviously see's that we're making food.

"'Cause we're making you a birthday breakfast." he states with a grin.

"Two days in a row? You guys are so sweet to me!" she replies excitedly, lifting him from the counter and hugging him into her arms, where she proceeds to spin in a circle. Their laughter turns into a fit of giggles as they come to a halt and plop down into a chair at the table.

"Alright, I think everything is ready." I say, and Jack hops off her lap to come help me.

I begin handing Jack various things to go set in front of her.

We start out with a placemat, followed by a napkin, then silverware.

He then brings her a stemless wineglass full of orange juice.

Next comes the vase of ranunculus flowers, which I know is one of her favorites. He sets them down on the table in front of her, and she smiles at him brightly before looking over to me. She grins and bites her lip. But Jack comes over and retrieves the other vase of flowers as well, which is filled with red tulips.

He and I couldn't decide between the two when we went to the florist together yesterday. So we ended up getting both. I knew she loved ranunculus, as she had pointed them out when we went to the farmer's market last week. But the red tulips had caught my eye, and the florist mentioned the meaning of them was 'declaration of love'. Even if Tris doesn't know the symbolism, or if I don't grow the courage to tell her, I knew I couldn't pass them up.

The second vase of flowers causes her grin to grow even wider and she shakes her head, in a teasing way, as if I'm over doing myself. Although she knows I disagree.

Jack then comes back over to me to retrieve the bowl of cereal he prepared her, walking it over ever so slowly, so as not to spill. I follow closely behind with a plate full of Belgian waffles with a side of bacon.

"Two of my favorite meals, with my two favorite boys." she says, looking it all over in front of her. "You weren't kidding about spoiling me, were you." she adds as she grabs a fork to dig in.

"Get used to it." Jack says, sounding a lot like me when he does so.

His comment makes Tris and I bark with laughter, almost making Tris choke on her bite of food. But she washes it down successfully with a gulp of her juice. She's still laughing a little as she looks back up at me from where I sit across from her. She reaches out for my hand and I happily twine our fingers.

"Thank you." she whispers.

***November 25th***

Zeke and Shauna have taken Jack and Steven to the park for a while, so I decide to run some errands.

Not only do I grab the last minute stuff needed for Thanksgiving dinner, but I get a bit of Christmas shopping out of the way as well. As much as my friends tease me for shopping early, I'd much rather do that than deal with the holiday crowds.

After a couple of productive hours, I see I've still got an hour until they said they'd drop him off at home. So I decide I'll stop by and bring Tris a smoothie from the place down the street that she likes.

Once I arrive to the bakery, I see the line is quite long, but she's the only one behind the counter.

She's got her apron on, her hair up in a messy pony tail, and she's running back and forth to fill the customer's orders. She keeps a smile on her face, being friendly with each of the customers as usual. But I can tell she's flustered.

Usually when I've seen it this busy, there are at least another person or two behind the counter. But especially the day before Thanksgiving, I know she was expecting it to be extra busy.

As I step around the line and head to the side of the counter, I look around wondering where everyone is.

She glances over at me briefly, offers me a quick tired smile, and then returns to the red headed lady with a baby in her arms, who proceeds to ask for several cookies and tarts.

As I see another few people enter the bakery, causing the line to officially hit the door, I decide I can't just sit aside and watch her get bombarded with this on her own.

So I set the smoothie on the back counter and head to the sink to wash my hands. I'm well acquainted with the bakery by now, so she doesn't give it a second thought that I'm back here with her.

But I can tell she's surprised when I sidle up beside her wearing the spare apron I found hanging on the wall in the kitchen.

I hear the customer in front of her ask for two loaves of French bread, and a dozen ginger cookies. So I grab the tongs and the small paper bag I know she uses to package cookies, and begin filling it for her. Tris eyes me for a moment with a curious smile as she grabs the loaves of bread. She then proceeds to ring the customer up as I ask the next one what they'd like.

The man requests two pies- one pumpkin, one cinnamon pecan. I have them boxed up by the time Tris has finished ringing him up too.

We continue this for the next 45 minutes, until we finally get a lull of customers.

"You're incredible. Thank you." she says, leaning against the counter on her elbows. "Today has been insane."

"I couldn't just stand aside and watch." I explain, rubbing circles on her lower back.

"Most guys would." she mumbles with a chuckle, then looks up me. "Seriously, you didn't have to help. But I appreciate that you did."

"Anything for my girl." I say, leaning down to peck her lips with mine. "What happened anyway? Where is everyone?"

"Well, Tori is in the back baking. Edward is out doing deliveries. And there _were_ supposed to be four of them to run the front end while I worked in the back_._"

"But...?"

"But I sent Christina away to the hospital once we found out her sister was in labor. She wasn't supposed to be due for another two weeks. And Rachel called out sick, she's in bed with a fever. Then there were Peter and Molly, who were here...but I kind of...fired them."

"You what?" I ask with a laugh.

She lets out a small exhausted laugh too before explaining further.

"Well, you know how I mentioned how annoying Peter has become with all his remarks and flirting?" she asks and I nod, but now I'm getting more curious and angry at what she may say next.

"Well, it's usually tolerable. But even still, I've already told Christina I want her to find us a replacement for him. Thankfully I think she has some interviews lined up for Friday. But anyway, today he kept complimenting my dress, telling me how well it fit. I told him to cut it out, and he did for a bit. Especially when he was distracted with customers during the morning rush. But when I passed him in the hallway on my way to the bathroom, he grabbed my ass." she says. I feel myself straighten up and my jaw clenches as my hands form fists at my sides. She senses my anger and rests her hands on my chest, looking up at me as she continues. "But I punched him square in the nose and told him to get out of my bakery, because he was fired." she says, and my tension is relieved slightly at the thought of her doing that. I love how tough she is, and how she doesn't take crap like that from anyone.

"Well, I'm proud of you." I say, pulling her against me, keeping my arms wrapped around her lower back. "...but what about Molly?" I ask, recalling that she mentioned she'd fired both of them.

"Apparently she saw it all happen, and stuck up for Peter, saying I needed to just_ chill_. So I told her if she agreed with him and thought that kind of behavior was acceptable, that she could leave too. So they both stormed out."

"I'm sorry all of that happened. That really sucks." I say, feeling bad that she's had to deal with all of that.

"Hey, at least I don't have to deal with them anymore. But I think I need to start having a say in who we hire from now on, I'm not sure I trust Christina to make that decision on her own anymore." she says with a humorless laugh.

"I agree." I say and kiss the top of her head. But then it occurs to me that she may have hurt her hand when hitting him. So I pull away slightly to look at her hand.

What I hadn't noticed before, was that she's wearing her rubber gloves like she often does when handling the food. But underneath her right one, her hand is wrapped up in gauze from where it's swollen and bruised. I lift it and kiss each of her knuckles softly and look at her with admiration. I feel bad she's injured, but I'm still so proud of her.

"And my day got a whole lot better when you showed up." she adds.

"I brought you a smoothie, but saw how busy you were. So thought I'd try to help." I say with a shrug. I reach over and grab the drink and hand it to her.

"Thank you!" she says with a happy moan as she takes a sip. "And you do look pretty hot in an apron." she says, a smirk forming on her gorgeous face.

"So do you." I say, looking her over appreciatively.

"I think you boosted my sales with all those single women wanting to prolong talking with you, even if it meant them ordering practically one of everything on display." she chuckles and I smile back at her.

"It's a good thing I only have eyes for you then." I say, and think about how badly I want to tell her I love her. I find myself wanting to say that a lot lately. But I want it to be the right time. ...Maybe this is the right time?

Before I can continue with that train of thought, we hear the jingle of the bell on the door, and look over to see a few more customers come in. All of whom want pie and other desserts for Thanksgiving.

I end up calling Zeke and Shauna to see if Jack can stay with them for a bit longer so that I can stay to help Tris. They agree without hesitation.

Once her closing crew arrives and business slows down, she's able to go in the back and finish helping Tori. I decide to stay and help until she's done completely, which is just after 6pm.

I know she's exhausted from her 13 hour shift, so after picking Jack, we head straight to my house, where we put in a movie and stuff ourselves with delivery pizza.

By the end of the movie, both of them are asleep. Tris is snuggled into my side, using my chest as a pillow. Jack is curled up with his head on the blanket that's on her lap, with his own blanket over his lap too.

After turning off the TV, I just sit there for a minute looking down at the two of them to admire them as they sleep.

I gently wake her up and she smiles groggily as she sits up. I stand and stretch before picking up Jack, who remains asleep, but immediately lays his head on my shoulder as I prepare to carry him upstairs.

She stands and stretches too before folding up the blanket and turning out the lights.

We get Jack in bed, then make our way to my room. As usual, there is the unspoken agreement that she's staying the night, which I'm thankful for.

So we go through the routine of brushing our teeth and getting in our pajamas.

After we climb under the covers, we share a lingering kiss goodnight, but neither of us try to take it further. Both too exhausted from the long day we just had, and the thought of the long Thanksgiving Day we'll have tomorrow.

We both find our way to our side, me spooning her from behind with my arm around her where we hold hands.

Neither of us have fallen asleep quite yet, despite our tiredness. But we lay in comfortable silence for several minutes.

Just before I'm about to drift off to sleep, I hear her speak.

"You know that I'm in love with you, right?" she asks quietly. But she speaks clear, and without conviction. However, I still sense a hint of vulnerability and nervousness. She rubs her thumb along the back of my hand as she holds it.

Her words remind me of what I said all those years ago before we had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Her response back then came easily, just like mine does now.

"I know." I reply confidently, with a big smile on my face. "Just like you know that I'm in love with you too." I add, clasping our fingers more tightly as I lean in and kiss her neck.

She rolls over and faces me with a bigger smile, as if she's extremely pleased with my response. She leans in to kiss me sweetly on the lips, before laying her head on my chest as my arm goes around her.

My lips find the top of her head and as usual, I inhale her wonderful scent. I exhale out a satisfied breath, not holding back the grin that takes over my face as I drift off to sleep.

***December 1st***

"Four, my man. How's it goin?" Uriah asks as he enters our sleeping quarters at the station.

"I'm doin' good Uri, how about you?" I say, opening my locker to put my bag away.

"What, might I add, is that?" he replies instead, pointing to the picture of Tris that I have taped inside my locker door. It's among the several pictures I have of Jack, as well as a few picture's he's drawn for me.

"It's my girlfriend." I say simply, closing my locker shut.

He just laughs and slaps me on the back.

"You're in deep, aren't you?" he states.

"Four's deep in what?" Will asks, joining us in the room and begins putting his stuff away.

"In looove." Uri sings, causing Will to laugh.

I roll my eyes and chuckle as I sit on my bed and lace up my work boots, but I don't deny it. Which just seems to encourage them with their teasing, and asking me when I'm going to 'put a ring on it'.

I find it amusing that Uriah chimes in at all about that, being that he's been with Marlene for a while and says he is nowhere near ready for that step. Yet Tris and I have been together a couple months and he's already bringing it up. But I stay silent, finding it easiest to just ignore them.

They continue to tease me all the way down stairs and as we begin washing the engines.

"I heard you're working at the bakery now too. Lindsey in the office said she came through the line and saw you." Will says, taking a brush to the engine tires.

"Ha!" Uri barks, scrubbing the headlights with a big soapy sponge. "First, big bad Four becomes all kissy and lovey dovey with his girl, now she's got you baking cakes and cookies with her. Who knew you were a softie." he adds, giving me a goofy smile.

In turn, I lean down and grab the garden hose and 'accidentally' soak him as I rinse the soap off the side of the engine.

**-/-/-/-/-**

The next day, I go to Sweet Pea's to pick up Jack. He's there hanging out with Tris, and as much as I know he likes it there, and she insists she doesn't mind, I know she'll get more done if I pick him up.

When I arrive, Lauren greets me and nods her head behind her, implying they're in the back.

I let myself through the swinging door and find Tris leaning over the big counter kneading dough, with Tori behind her pulling a tray of bread loaves from the oven.

"Hey." I say, walking over to where they're at.

Tori looks over her shoulder and greets me, as Tris smiles and leans up for a kiss hello.

She looks ridiculously adorable with the smear of flour on her cheek, and it reminds me of the flour fight she and I got into a few days ago when I stuck around after hours with her to help out again.

"I missed you." she says, leaning up for another kiss.

"I missed you too." I say, reaching up to tenderly wipe off the flour from her face.

"He in there?" I ask, gesturing to the separate room that is not only the office in one corner, but the employee break area in the other.

"Yep, he's in there with Chris. Last I checked, he was coloring and watching SpongeBob." Tris says.

I nod and make my way over there to greet my son. These 72 hour work shifts leave me even more anxious to see Jack and Tris.

I step through the open doorway and find Christina typing away on the computer at the desk to my right. To my left, Jack sits on the couch with a coloring book on his lap and Tris' iPad on the table playing his cartoons.

"Daddy!" He exclaims in greeting when he sees me. I take a few steps toward him, but he runs to meet me and jumps into my arms. I lift him up and hug him, just as his arms wrap around my neck.

"How are you big guy?" I ask, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

"I'm good. Look, I made Tris a picture, and she hung it up!" he says, pointing to the picture that is now taped on the wall to the left of the couch that's always been blank as far as I can remember. "She said that's _my_ art wall now, and I can fill the whole thing with my pictures."

"She did? That's great!" I reply, glancing over at Christina to see she's smirking at us.

"Yep. And I made you a picture too." he says, wiggling from my grasp to go retrieve it. He brings back a picture of three stick people with big smiles, and to the side is a big circle that he says the big Ferris wheel we took Tris to on her birthday.

"I love it, thank you." I tell him with a smile. "Should we take this one home and put it on the fridge?" I ask and he nods enthusiastically.

"How about you put all your stuff away in your toy basket, and we'll go in a minute. Okay?"

"K." he says and goes to do as I ask.

I walk back out to see Tris and inquire about my earlier thoughts.

"Hey- I was thinking, you want to have everyone over tomorrow night at my place? We should celebrate Sweet Pea's 1 year anniversary." I say.

"Christina asked what we were doing as well. I didn't think the anniversary was that big of a deal, but if you think we should celebrate too, than sure, why not?" she replies with a smile.

"Of course it's a big deal. You've worked so hard to get this place opened, and you continue to work hard to make it as successful as you have. This is the best bakery in Chicago, if not the world." I say.

She laughs at my comment and looks at me with an amused smile.

"I like how you go straight from best in Chicago, to the _world_."

"I'm just speaking the truth." I reply with a shrug and a smile.

"Tell him what Julia came by to do today." Tori encourages from where she stands at a mixer adding ingredients.

"Oh yeah- you sister came by today to write a piece for the paper. Apparently I'm getting some really good ratings on blogs and stuff, and being that today hit the 1 year mark, she talked her editor into letting her do a feature about Sweet Pea's."

"That's great! What was it like?"

"She interviewed me about the bakery, having me emphasize on how we make all our stuff from scratch, how we use all natural ingredients, offer a variety of gluten-free goods, etc. She even insisted on taking a few pictures."

"Well, I think that's great. And that's pretty much free advertising too. That's a very popular newspaper."

"Very true."

Just then, Lauren pops her head in through the swinging door.

"Tris- some guy is out here asking specifically for you. He's been here a few times this week while you weren't here. But now that he knows you're here, he insists on talking to you as soon as you're available." Lauren explains.

"Eh- it's probably a big cake order or something. For some reason they often want to order it from me directly."

"Okay, he's out sitting at one of the tables by the window, he's the one in the dark button up shirt."

"Okay, I'll be out in a sec." Tris replies and turns to wash her hands in the sink.

"Jack and I were going to head out anyway. We'll let you get back to work." I tell her as Jack comes out to join me.

"Okay, I'll come by after I'm done around here around two o'clock." she says as she hugs and kisses me and Jack goodbye.

She then grabs her order form clipboard and heads up front to help the awaiting customer, while I wait for Jack to say goodbye to Tori.

Christina comes up with a folder of paperwork and we end up leaving the back room at the same time.

"Where's Tris?" she asks as we walk up to the front, and I point to her sitting with a guy at the table.

Tris doesn't appear to be taking a cake order though. Instead, she sits straight, with her hands in her lap. She's nodding along, listening to whatever he's saying. They seem to be talking amiably, but I can see the tension in her body language. She looks uncomfortable.

The guy tilts his head, causing me to get a look at him, and I'm pretty sure I recognize him immediately. But I'm really hoping I'm wrong.

"Fuck- is that Eric?" Christina asks quietly from beside me.

**-/-/-/-/-**


	7. Chapter 7

**_"First and Last"_**

**_Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content)._**

**_-Chapter 7-_**

**_~Tris POV~_**

**_*December 2nd, continued...*_**

I barely make it half way to the table before I fully take a look at the man I am supposed to be greeting and potentially taking a cake order from.

It is not who I expected.

I think about turning around and avoiding him, but I know it will be of no use. He's always been the persistent type. So I decide to just get it over with.

"Eric?" I ask, as I approach the table.

He turns and smiles brightly at me, looking me up and down as if appraising how I look these days.

"Tris-" he replies as he stands. He almost seems like he's going to step forward and hug me, but seems hesitant and unsure. So to be safe, I decide to make no effort to greet him further and go straight for the chair opposite his. My hands rest in my lap and I sit with better posture than usual, instinctually not wanting to make him feel like this is a comfortable or particularly welcome surprise.

Even though we argued a lot when we broke up, we eventually sat and talked calmly with each other like two mature adults. It didn't change my decision to end things with him, just helped us to end on better terms. It helped ease the tension and hopefully helped him understand that we weren't meant to be, but that he'll find the right girl one day.

I had moved out, and as I handed over my copy of the key to the apartment we had shared, we departed with a friendly hug and wished each other well.

So this visit here to my bakery is unexpected. Especially when recalling that Lauren said this 'customer' had been here repeatedly this week in attempts to see me.

I always knew it'd be awkward if we bumped into each other. Even though he's since moved to Philadelphia, I'm sure he still spends a lot of time here in Chicago. Mutual friends have mentioned that they've bumped into him at bars and what not.

"What are you doing here?" I ask. By the slight flash of surprise that crosses his face, I know he wasn't expecting my harshness. But I can't help it. This is all just- weird, and I don't like it.

He takes a deep breath and leans forward, resting his elbows on the small table. "Well, I've been in Chicago for a few months. I recently bought a second home here in Chicago and I'm having it remodeled. So I was meeting my architect here at your bakery to go over some plans, but I didn't know you owned it. It was just a convenient meeting place. Plus, I'm able to keep an eye on my car." he says, pausing and gesturing towards the vehicle parked on the street just outside the bakery's window. I glance over and do a double-take as I see white convertible Ferrari. I have no idea what model it is, but the black and yellow horse prancing logo is unmistakable.

At first I think he's making a joke. But when I look back over at him, he sips from his coffee with a look of indifference.

"Anyway, when I was at the counter, I noticed the stack of business cards with your name on them." he says.

"Okay..." I say, not really getting an answer as to why he's here, back in my bakery, talking to me.

"I was taken aback by how great this place is. The style, the hospitality, and of course the food. I'm really proud of you Tris." he says with a small smile. I open my mouth to speak, ready to bark at him about how he never supported my dream, or encouraged me to do this. But he holds his hand up and gives me a look that pleads for me to allow him to continue. So I shut my mouth and sigh, waiting for him to finish. "And it was busy. Like, really hustling. You had a near constant line throughout my meeting." he says, emphasizing how impressed he seems to have been. "I came back a few times later in the week, not only to grab a snack, but to just say hello and congratulate you on this place. But I found myself noticing how consistently busy it was each time I visited."

"Yeah, business has been really good." I say, not offering any more than that though. What is he getting at?

"I think you made the right call, opening this place. It's obviously well-loved, and I know it wasn't easy financially to get this place up and running. So what I'm trying to say is- I'd like to invest in you, in your business. I'd like to offer to open another Sweet Pea's, maybe several." he says.

"What?" I ask, complete surprised.

"I don't know how you are these days financially, and that's none of my business. But I know it'd be tough to consider expanding when you haven't even had this one open a year. However, business is booming, and I think it might be the time to swoop in and expand. And well, my business partner and I could help. We already have experience- we expanded upon his sister's restaurant. She had opened her first one in Philly, and we helped her open one in Pittsburgh, as well as one here in Chicago. They're all doing fantastic, and she's making more money with no extra effort. We're looking into other locations now too." he adds.

"So, you're here to congratulate me on my successful business, and ask me if I want to partner up to expand."

"Yes." he replies simply.

"I appreciate the offer, but-" I begin, but he cuts me off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tobias, Jack and Christina emerge from the back.

"You don't have to make a decision right now." he says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out his business card and hands it to me. "Just think about it." he says, his hands begin to cradle mine for a moment, but I quickly pull them away.

I had assumed Eric moved on, but that near attempt at hand-holding didn't seem to necessarily suggest that. Or maybe I'm just over reacting. Either way, I don't want to take any chances. So I decide I should introduce him to Tobias. I don't want to imply to Eric in any way that I'm available. And what better way than introducing him to my boyfriend?

But I also don't want to make Tobias uncomfortable. So as Eric tells me to check out his website to see the pictures of the restaurants, I steel a glance over at them, where they stand huddled up by the counter. Tobias appears to be giving us space and privacy by remaining over there, attempting to randomly flip through the cake picture book with Jack. But his eyes flit over to me, and we lock eyes. So I subtly cock my head, in obvious suggestion that I'd like him to come over here to join me.

I'm still half-listening to Eric prattle on as I watch Tobias say something to Christina, then leans down and whispers something to Jack, probably telling him to stay with Christina for a minute.

Tobias releases the hand that he was holding of Jack's, and leaves him with Christina as he makes his way over to me.

Behind him, I see Christina usher Jack to a table and they sit to wait patiently. But I can tell she is still watching all of this go down with rapt attention.

As Tobias nears us, I stand up. Eric follows suit, as if unsure as to why I suddenly stood.

"Eric, this is my boyfriend- Tobias." I say once Tobias has reached the table.

Eric offers his hand to shake his in greeting, but I see his eyes quickly roam Tobias as if cautiously sizing him up. But then he quickly smiles and gives Tobias a hearty pat on the back.

"Good to meet you Tobias." he says as if they're new buddies.

If Eric is upset or effected by any of this, he doesn't show it. So I'm thankful for that. I'm hoping he's moved on, just like I have.

"Eric." Tobias replies in simple greeting with a curt nod, returning the firm hand shake.

This is so weird to see them meet each other.

"Alright, well I've got to get back to work. I'll check out the website and will call you if I decide I'm interested." I tell Eric as I place an arm around Tobias' waist. His arm goes around my shoulder and pulls me against him as he rubs his hand up and down my outer arm.

"Okay, sounds good. I really do hope you consider my offer." he replies, grabbing his suit coat off the back of his chair and puts it on. "And listen, I know it might be weird since I'm your Ex or whatever, but this would be strictly business, and you're more than welcome to deal primarily with my business partner, Phillip, if you'd prefer." he says, and without waiting for a reply, he gives us a courtesy nod and heads out the front door, pulling his coat collar up as he goes.

Even though that whole conversation wasn't all that unpleasant, and it really did just seem business related as he had mentioned, a wave of relief still washes over me once he's gone.

I feel Christina stand beside us as we watch Eric walk past the windows and get into the Ferrari, before driving off. Once he's officially gone, I turn in Tobias' arms so that I'm facing him. I look up into his deep blue eyes and try to read his expression. It almost looks unreadable, he's always mastered the blank unexpressive look. But I know him better than anyone. So I can tell he's curious, as well as annoyed.

"Not who I was expecting to find out here." I say.

"Me either." he replies with a humorless chuckle.

"So, what did he want?" Christina asks, and I can see Tobias' brows furrow slightly as he awaits my answer.

"He basically explained how he was impressed by this bakery, without even knowing it was mine. And then proceeded to tell me about how he'd like to help expand the business, like he did with a Philly based restaurant." I explain. "From the gist I got, this past year has been good to him. He's been quite successful, and wants to continue investing in businesses like this. Says it will make us both easy money." I explain.

"He wants to expand? Sweet Pea's?" Christina exclaims, a smile forming on her lips.

"Chris, wipe that grin off your face. It isn't going to happen." I say and I swear Tobias seems relieved.

"Tris, he's obviously rich. And Sweet Pea's is doing great. Expanding may not be a terrible idea. Especially if he's willing to fork in the money." Christina says and I'm baffled that she's actually asking me to consider this.

I look to Tobias, but he remains silent.

"But this is Eric we're talking about." I say. "He didn't even believe in me when I talked about wanting to open this place. He didn't support my decision on it at all. And I haven't talked to him since we broke up."

"That may be true. But you've obviously proved him wrong about the bakery. And he doesn't seem upset by it. He's finally coming to his senses and sees the potential of this place." Christina replies.

"I don't know..." I say, remaining looking at her as I lay my head on Tobias' chest. He rests his chin on my head and keeps his arms wrapped around me.

"Well, you know I'll support your decision either way. But I don't think you should completely ignore the idea. This may be your golden opportunity. You and I both know we'd have a hell of a time expanding this business on our own anytime soon. We'd need an investor. And he's offering. So at least think about it."

I look back up at Tobias and he gives me a tight smile as he nods and shrugs his shoulders, as if he has no other choice but to agree with her.

**_*December 3rd*_**

I smooth down my dress as I make my way down Tobias' stairs and I hear a knock on the door.

Tobias is already nearing it to answer it and as he pulls it open, I see Caleb, Susan and Aaron standing there with a bottle of wine.

I bound down the rest of the way and throw my arms around him.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming tonight!" I say to my brother who I haven't seen in weeks. He lives outside the city with his wife Susan and their 4 year old son Aaron. He's a high school science teacher, and she's the school nurse.

"Tobias called and invited us. Congratulations by the way, I can't believe it's already been a year since Sweet Pea's opened." he says as I hug Susan and my adorable nephew.

They greet Tobias as well and I smile at him, silently thanking him for making this party great already.

He knows it means a lot to have some of my family here.

Not long after he and I started seeing each other again, I had told him about losing my parents. They passed away in a car accident a couple years ago. That's how I had come into some money. Or at least enough to get the bakery on its feet.

It was a really tough time for me, but opening it with the money helped me through it all. I knew they wanted me to follow my dream, and knew it's what they'd have wanted for me.

We continue to catch up as we enter the living room, which I just now realize Tobias has decorated a bit while I was getting ready. There are helium balloons scattered around, and then I notice Tori setting a cake down on the counter, that says "To Many More".

An hour later, the party is in full swing. Evelyn and Doug have joined us, as well as all our friends. Aaron, Steven and Jack play together, happy to have kids their own age to entertain themselves with.

It's fun to have everyone together. And in Tobias' house no less.

It's when we sit around the living room talking after dinner, that the Eric thing comes up.

"So, I hear you got an investor interested in helping to expand the bakery." Zeke says, obviously curious if I've decided anything further with that.

"Wow Tris, really? Why didn't you mention that before?" Caleb asks.

"Because, it's Eric." I say, and Caleb's face immediately turns sour.

"Oh." he replies.

"Yeah, kind of a deal breaker, huh?" I reply.

"Have you considered the offer at all? I mean, you guys left on good terms, right?" Susan chimes in. "It's just- you have mentioned in the past, how it'd be nice to have another shop across town."

"I know, it's just- weird. He said we could do most of the work through his business partner. So that wouldn't be as bad. But still..." I say, still torn about this whole prospect. Everyone's opinions and suggestions are tugging me back and forth.

"Personally, I'd be hesitant to get involved with Eric again in anyway." Caleb says, being the usual over protective big brother.

I think out of the corner of my eye I see Tobias offer a small smile in his direction, but it's not there by the time my eyes flit over to him.

"She agreed to at least hear him out in more detail though." Christina speaks up.

"Yeah, I've arranged a meeting for him and Phillip to meet up with Christina, Tobias, and I." I explain, referring to the meeting we have arranged next week at his office. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go and hear them out. But I'm extremely relieved that they agreed to join me for the meeting.

"Well, whatever you decide, know that mom and dad would be really proud of you." Caleb replies, clinking my wine glass with his. I swallow thickly and offer him a sad smile.

"To Tris, and the success of Sweet Pea's" Tobias says, raising his glass. Everyone does and continues with the cheers. I look up at him from where I sit on the floor between his legs, with mine outstretched and crossed at the ankle.

"And to you guys, for helping me every step of the way." I add, and swallow down the rest of the burgundy colored liquid.

"I think this party will have to be an annual thing, what do ya say?" Tobias suggests and everyone agrees.

I look over my shoulder and smile at him. He returns it and kisses my cheek.

"I love you." he whispers in my ear.

"I love you too." I whisper back.

And I love that he's already making assumptions that not only will my bakery still be running successful in a year's time, but that we'll all be together then still too. He's confident about our relationship, and that we have a long future together. And I'm more than happy with the sound of that.

**_*December 11th*_**

"So, what did you think of that meeting today?" Tobias asks as he pulls back the covers to his bed.

"It went well I guess. Phillip seems nice, and seems knowledgeable. They're definitely smart business men. But still, I don't know." I say, kicking off my slippers and sliding under the sheets. He follows and we snuggle up to one another immediately.

"What are you most apprehensive about?" he asks.

"I don't know exactly." I say, pondering his question.

"Okay, look at it this way- do you think you would you do it if it were someone else, instead of Eric? Does the deal itself seem appealing after they explained the potential plan today?"

"I guess, kind of." I say, looking up at the ceiling as all the details of what they went over run through my mind. "Actually- maybe not." I add.

He stays silent, knowing I'm thinking further before continuing. He just runs his hand soothingly through my hair.

"I don't want to do it." I say finally.

"Okay." he says.

"At first, I thought I didn't want to do it because it was Eric. But the whole idea of expanding and growing the business, honestly sounded pretty appealing. But ever since Eric started regularly visiting the bakery for a coffee and muffin, he truly seems to just talk to me like a friend or acquaintance. So that parts not really as awkward anymore. In fact, he's been pretty flirty with Lauren, which she doesn't seem to mind at all. So that kind of takes the pressure off me."

I say, and he watches me as I continue to explain all my thoughts and conclusions that I've come to in the past few minutes.

"And like I said, Phillip was nice and professional as well. But now that I think back to that meeting and all their plans, they definitely seemed to have things set a certain way. I feel like their design, promoting campaign, the new companies they'd do their buying from to save money- none of it seems right. They'd be completely ignoring the whole 'all natural' thing that I strive to stick to, and who know's if they'd even keep my recipes the same. And now that I think about it, do I really even want to fork over my recipes? It just, doesn't seem like the essence of Sweet Pea's, ya know? That's my brand, my name behind that. And I don't think I want someone else taking over and making it something it's not."

"I agree. I was going to say something after the meeting, but I had a feeling you'd come to the conclusion on your own first." he says, smiling at me.

"Plus, they mentioned immediately opening THREE locations. Then in a year, if they're doing well, opening a few more. That's a lot. I like having it feel like an independent unique bakery, with a homey welcome feel. I want it to remain family owned and operated, not taken over by the big-wigs. So I think if I decide to expand, it will be on my own terms, if and when I feel it's right."

"I think that's a great idea."

I turn on my side to face him. "You do? I'm not being stupid, right?" I ask him, knowing he'll be honest with me.

"No, you're being smart. You're staying true to yourself, and what you want your business to be. If you let anyone else get involved like that, who knows what they'll turn it into. I know that if you decide to expand on your own one day, it will work out just fine. And me, Christina and the rest of your crew would be there to help you every step of the way." he says, placing a delicate kiss to the tip of my nose.

"Thank you for listening, and for talking it out with me." I say.

"Of course. I'll always be here to listen and talk things out with you."

"You've even dealt with the fact that this has all been involving my ex-fiance." I say with an apologetic but somewhat amused smile, thinking about the times Eric and he have interacted, and how I could often see Tobias bite back a comment or withhold an eye roll.

Even though Eric has been well-behaved and friendly, he's still got an underlying air of cockiness that I know Tobias notices as much as I do. "Most boyfriends wouldn't quite be so level-headed about it." I add.

"Oh, it hasn't been easy. Honestly, something about him just always pisses me off, even though I guess he's technically been cool about all this. But I didn't want my emotions or insecurities get in the way if you really decided you wanted to do this. I wanted you to make the decision on your own, and not be part of the deciding factor. I told myself I'd respect your decision either way."

"You'll always be a part of the deciding factor, Tobias. You and Jack." I whisper. "And I'll always value your opinions."

He smiles and kisses me. Then his kisses travel south as he lifts my nightshirt.

He kisses down my neck, down over the swell of my breasts, lingering over my puckered nipples, and then works his way down my stomach. I giggle as he dips his tongue in my belly button briefly, before he licks along the edge of my panties. He shuffles his way down under the covers, pulling them up over his head. But he leaves it open enough so that I can see him hovering over me down there, and he looks up at me as he begins kissing and licking me outside my white cotton underwear. He knows he's being a tease, and it's not long before I'm practically begging him to remove them already. I need his mouth on me.

As I wriggle in anxiousness beneath him, he smiles up at me, looking at me with those deep hooded eyes that could probably get me off just at the way he looks at me.

He slowly kisses my hip bones as he drags the underwear down my legs and tosses them on the floor.

He kisses closer and closer to where I crave him, and I let out a low moan when he finally makes contact. His mouth is on me, softly at first. His warm breath and wet tongue just gliding up and down gracefully, before he adds more force and movements with that magical tongue of his.

I toss my arm over my mouth to muffle my moans as he brings me to my peak. He laps up my desire until my legs slump down in exhaustion.

After he crawls back up and hovers over me, and rests on his elbows, I reach up and run my fingers through his hair. He looks down at me lovingly as he nips little kisses on various areas of my face.

It starts out playful, but at some point I feel his erection brush against me and I'm heady with desire for more of him. I buck my hips and we both suck in a breath when we feel it again.

So I reach down and take him in my hand, causing him to grunt deeply just inches from my ear. The noise seems to rumble through me and stimulates me even more.

As I feel him move his hips in a suggestive motion, I aim it at my entrance. But he lifts his head and looks down at me. His eyes are dark and aroused, but he has a questioning look upon his face.

"I've been on the pill for a couple weeks now, if you want to do it bare." I offer shyly.

He continues to look at me for a moment, as if trying to make sure I'm really sure. "If you'd like." I add.

His mouth slowly rises up to smile at my words, but his expression turns concentrated, serious, yet full of passion. He looks back an forrth between my eyes as he slowly sinks in, sans barrier.

I've never had sex without a condom, and according to him, neither has he. Well, with an exception to the one that broke with Myra.

But this is different.

This is us, deeply in love with one another, and sharing this intimacy that could only come from him and me together as one. This full true connection, skin on skin, feels exhilarating and beyond pleasurable.

My hands rake up his back and I pull him down to kiss me. I feel him slide one arm beneath my neck to hold me close. Between our exploring kisses, he whispers sweet things in my ear. Like how beautiful I am, how much he loves me, how good I feel. As if those words wouldn't make a girl come undone beneath this Greek God anyway, the timber of his deep throaty voice and the feel of him burying himself so deep, definitely does the trick.

At the first flutters of my inner walls, I feel him increase his pace. I know he's nearing the brink as well, but he keeps his deep measured movements.

His mouth claims mine again, just in time to capture my cries of pleasure as he rocks my body to what feels like the moon and back. I feel, as much as I hear, him moaning back into my mouth as he spills inside me.

When I lay on his chest afterwards, and his arm is around me holding me close, I look up at him to find him already looking down at me. He has that loving, yet sexy sated smile on his face, the one that I know he saves just for me. I kiss his chest where my face rests and close my eyes, still resting my chin on him as we both daze off to sleep.

**_*December 24th*_**

"Oh, hey." I say casually, although I'm somewhat surprised to be greeting Eric as he enters the bakery. It's just me here left, as I've sent the rest of my staff home to enjoy the rest of their Christmas Eve. It's nearly 3pm, so I'll be closing up soon anyway. We had a crazy busy morning, as you can imagine. But as expected, business died out about an hour ago. So we're closing up early.

"Hey Tris." he replies back, as he approaches me at the front counter.

A moment later, another customer comes in. The man approaches the counter behind him, seemingly in a hurry, but courteously waits for Eric who is currently looking over the holiday drink menu.

But after noticing the customer's urgency, he steps aside.

"Go ahead and help him first Tris, I wanted to steal a few minutes of your time anyway." he says with a wink.

I look at him in confusion, wary of his motives. Why does he want a few minutes of my time? I close in about 2 minutes anyway. And I have plans for the evening, with Tobias and Jack. I'm sure he has places to be too, right? It's Christmas Eve. Maybe he just wants to try asking me about the investment again.

He had taken my decision well when I officially declined his offer, saying he admired my honesty and respected my decision. But I was honestly a little surprised he never brought it up again. Lately I've felt like I've been expecting it to come up at some point during his almost daily visits here to the bakery. But it never does. He just orders his usual and makes brief small talk, before bidding us goodbye with a promise to see us again soon. So maybe now that I'm here alone, he thinks he can talk me into it.

I ponder all of this as I bag up the other customer's dinner rolls and last minute decision on the tray of chocolate filled croissants that he says will be perfect for his family's breakfast tomorrow.

Once he's paid for his goods and left, Eric re-approaches the counter, smiling brightly.

"So, what can I get you?" I ask, unsure if he'll want the usual since he usually gets that first thing in the morning. I can't recall him ever visiting late into the afternoon like this.

"Peppermint Mocha, please." he says.

I nod, ring him up, and turn to begin making the drink.

But when I turn around to hand it off to him, he's right behind me.

"Whoa, I almost spilled this all over you." I say, obviously startled by his stealth.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just like to watch you work." he says.

I feel myself scowl at him. What kind of comment is that? And why is he behind the counter with me, standing just a foot away from me, looking at me like that.

"Thank you, for the mocha." he says taking it, but sets it down on the counter beside us.

Then he pulls out a long box wrapped in silver wrapping paper and a red satin bow. He hands it to me with a small smile on his face.

It's small, but odd in shape, and lightweight.

"Eric-" I begin to say as I hand it back. I don't know what has compelled him to give me this. I thought it'd be safe to assume we wouldn't have any plans of exchanging presents with one another. It hadn't even crossed my mind.

"Tris, just take it. It's Christmas, accept my gift." he interrupts, nudging it back into my hands. "I like giving people unexpected gifts." he encourages.

I sigh, taking the slender box back into my hands. It crosses my mind that it's a similar shape to the fancy pen my brother had got for my dad for Father's Day one year and needed help wrapping. Maybe this is a fancy pen? It seems logical, and would be a kind business-like gesture on behalf of a wealthy business man/regular customer. One of my other customers had insisted on his gift to us, of a poinsettia plant.

So I relent and pull off the wrapping, lifting the lid of the velvet black box. But I'm hesitant to see what's inside. This doesn't necessarily look like a pen box anymore.

Still, I'm definitely not expecting to see the diamond bracelet that sits inside.

My mouth drops open and I stare down at it for a moment before looking back up at him.

"Eric-" I begin, but he interrupts me again.

"Don't over think it. I was picking out some new cuff links and saw it. Its beauty was breath taking, which reminded me of you. So, I just had to get it for you."

"I don't know what to say." I say, truly at a loss for words. I mean, what the hell is he thinking?

"Then don't say anything. Just let me put it on you." he suggests, stepping forward.

But I step back, causing my butt to bump into the counter.

"No, Eric. I don't think you understand. I can't accept this."

"You can't? Or you don't want to?" he presses.

"I don't want to." I clarify, taking a breath. "Listen, I don't know if this is because you want to sweeten the deal for the investment in my company, or what-" I say.

"It has nothing to do with that, I swear." he says, looking down at his shoes before looking back up at me. "I want you back, Tris. I have since the moment I saw you. I thought that maybe, if you saw how good you'd have it, you'd give me another shot." he explains.

"How good I'd have it?" I ask incredulously. "Meaning with jewelry and other material items that you think you could buy my love with?"

"I'm a millionaire Tris, do you even understand what I'm offering? You could have practically anything you want. You'd never have to work in this little ho-hum shop again."

"Fuck you." I say, shoving the box back in his hands.

"What?! Tris, please-"

"Is that really what you think of me? You really think that sounds appealing?" I say exasperated, but I don't wait for him to answer before I continue my rant. "Eric, even if you didn't try to impress me or win me over with your wealth, I'd turn you down. We've already had the discussion on why we didn't work together. Even if I were single, nothing has changed there. But this is a new low for you, practically trying to bribe me. And on top of that, you know I'm with Tobias. I'm in love with him. He's who I'm supposed to be with. Despite what you may have thought, your money won't change how I feel. Not to mention, I'm very happy with my life. I love working here, and I'm proud of what we've done with this place."

"You're serious?" he asks, as if he really thought he had a shot.

"Yes." I say, making myself very clear. "Now please take this and leave. And to be clear, I think you should find another place for your coffee and muffin from now on."

"I'm sorry Tris, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just, I thought I'd give it a shot. I thought you'd see how much better off you'd be with me."

"Well, I'm sorry if I lead you on in any way." I say, walking past him to go escort him to the door.

He heaves a sigh and shakes his head before finally leaving.

I quickly lock the door behind him, flip the sign to read 'Closed', and take a big sigh of relief.

Fuck, what a day.

I can't wait to get home to Tobias and Jack.

-/-/-/-

Once I arrive to his house as planned, Tobias can tell something is off. Jack is in the other room playing when I pull him into the kitchen.

"What's the matter?" he asks, concerned. And as baffled and annoyed as I had been my whole way here, I immediately feel more at ease once I'm here in their presence. And the sight of Tobias in the apron I keep here, makes me smile.

His furrowed brows let up a little at the site of my smile, and his lift slightly too. "What's up? You seemed upset, now you're smiling." he says with a small chuckle.

"I had an interesting afternoon, and I'm just really happy to be home. And you look so damn cute in that apron." I say, leaning in to hug him. I realize I just said 'home', but neither of us linger on that. I guess that's because wherever they are feels like home.

He holds me close as I take a deep breath to tell him what happened. "Don't be mad, okay?"

"Okay..." he replies curiously.

"Eric stopped by at closing. He wanted to talk...he tried giving me a Christmas present, but I declined it. He was uh... hoping it would help his chances with me. He told me he wanted me back." I explain, looking up at him tentatively. I see his jaw clench as he looks down at me, looking over my face to read my feelings of what had happened.

"W-What did you tell him?" he asks thickly as he leans against the counter behind him, but he continues to hold me in his arms.

"I basically told him that money or no money, I still don't want to be with him, and that I won't be changing my mind. Even if I was single, we weren't meant to be. And I reminded him how I'm with you, and how in love I am with you."

"Yeah?" he asks, seemingly very relieved. Although he's still serious.

"Yeah. And I told him not to come back to Sweet Pea's."

He nods and kisses my forehead. "He didn't try to force you into anything, right?" he asks.

"No, he kept his distance for the most part. I'm surprised enough that it all happened. He seemed to be past all this, and I truly thought he was into Lauren." I say, but then I remember how he thought he might actually get my attention, and my face hardens again. "And I can't believe he actually thought his money is what might make me reconsider. Do I really seem that shallow?"

"No, you don't. But he obviously thinks money is the answer to everything, so he's the shallow one." Tobias says, and I nuzzle my face into his neck.

"What did he get you?" he asks after a moment of silence.

"A diamond bracelet."

His brows lift as he looks at me surprised. "I guess he really was flaunting the money."

"Yeah, it was probably the most expensive thing I've ever touched. But it didn't matter, I didn't even consider accepting it."

Then he swallows as he looks down at our entwined hand. "He thought that's how he could one-up me. He knows we're happy and in love, but that I can't afford to get you fancy jewelry like that. But what he doesn't realize, is that one can't just buy what we have." he says, looking over my face before softly bringing his lips to mine.

"Your wisdom is one of the many things I love about you." I say with a smile and kiss him again.

"Are we still going to watch Elf?" Jack says, suddenly joining us in the kitchen.

"Yes, but let's eat dinner first." Tobias says, giving me one more kiss before turning around to get something out of the oven.

And that's how we spend our Christmas Eve, just as I had hoped.

_***December 29th***_

As I do the last bit of clean-up, wiping down the counters, I hear my phone ping with a text.

_Tobias: You still coming over?_

_Tris: Yep, should be out of here in 5-10 minutes_

_Tobias: How do fajitas sound for dinner?_

_Tris: Sounds amazing! Need me to grab anything?_

_Tobias: Nope, I just need YOU_

_Tris: I'll be there soon_

_Tobias: K, I love you_

_Tris: I love you too xoxo_

I can't contain my smile as I text him back and forth, which causes Tori to give me a teasing swat with a towel as she walks by.

When my work is done at the bakery, I go straight to his place.

I knock on Tobias' front door before letting myself in.

I've been doing that for a while now. As he had insisted never have to knock. That I should always just let myself in since I'm welcome any day, any time.

When I shed my coat and set my bag down, I make my way into the living room to greet Jack who is playing with legos on the floor. Then I head into the kitchen, where I find Tobias slicing up various veggies.

"Hey handsome." I say, coming up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and nuzzling my face between his shoulder blades. I love his back.

"Hey beautiful." he replies with a smile, setting the knife down to turn and greet me properly. With a nice lingering hug and a soft sweet kiss.

"I like how you say you're no good in the kitchen, yet everything you make is delicious and you're damn good with a chef's knife." I say, pointing out his perfectly sliced bell peppers and onions.

He just smiles and shrugs. "I learn a lot from you ya know. More than you'd probably think." he says and kisses me again.

But then he pulls away and he has a look of concern.

He pulls away and goes straight for the fridge.

"Shit, I forgot to get tortillas." he says, obviously frustrated with himself. "I'll have to run up to the store-" he begins saying, but becomes distracted by watching me pull over his canister of flour, then grab the salt, oil and baking powder. "What are you doing?"

"Making tortillas."

A grin slowly makes its way onto his face. "Have I told you how amazing you are?"

"You might've mentioned it." I reply with a smirk and begin measuring out the ingredients into the mixing bowl.

"You're making this look really easy." he says, watching me work.

"People are intimidated my making these, but they're simple really. Only 5 ingredients." I explain, adding warm water to the dry mixture.

"Told you, always learning from you." he says with a chuckle as he goes over to start slicing up the flank steak.

"Hey Jack, want to help me with the dough?" I call out to him.

It's only a couple of seconds later when he comes skidding into the kitchen. "What we makin'?" he asks with an excited smile.

"Flour tortillas. C'mon, let's wash our hands." I say, lifting him onto the counter next to the sink before turning on the warm water. I squirt soap onto each of our hands, then we scrub them up together.

Once I have him set up on a barstool by the counter, I sprinkle flour on the surface of the large cutting board. Then I plop the big dough ball down. I break it up into 16 pieces and show him how to help me roll them into balls. When they're all done, we place them all in a large ziplock baggy to let rest for 15 minutes.

I help him wash up again and he goes off to play. As I wipe down the counter from our mess, I feel Tobias watching me, so I glance up. He's leaning against the counter smiling at me, his arms crossed casually, which only emphasizes his nice arms.

"You are so good with him. He really loves you ya know." he tells me.

"I really love him too." I reply truthfully. "I'm really glad he doesn't mind me being around so often."

"We both love having you here. And as his father, you have no idea how wonderful it is to see him around you like that all the time. I mean, he's had my mom and Julia in his life growing up, so he's had female figures in his life. But with you...it's different. To tell you the truth, I think he perceives you more like a motherly figure." he says as his hand extends out and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. He seems slightly nervous as he waits for me to respond.

But I don't think he realizes how much my heart swells at his words.

"I really like the sound of that." I say softly.

"Me too." he agrees with a grin and pulls me to him once again.

**_-/-/-/-/-_**

**_A/N-_**

**_Thank you for your patience with this chapter! I had trouble with the site when it came to getting it posted! But all seems to have worked now._**

**_Before I forget again, a special thank you to my beta/friend Ractre1127 for being of so much help!_**

**_To the rest of you readers- thank you so much for the amazing feedback, as well as follows and favorites!_**

**_Many of you have mentioned and/or asked about Tobias' work schedule with the fire department. I'm sure many fire departments are different, depending on the state and/or county they reside. However, I just based his off of the same type of schedule as the firefighter that I'm related to. Which is 3 days on (72 hours straight), then 4 days off. That's why Tris has been so involved with watching Jack during those three days, since Tobias is at the station that whole time.  
><em>****_I try to keep the story consistent, and write the chapters to reflect that schedule. But I apologize if some parts don't seem to follow it so well._**

**_The picture collage to go with this chapter (7), will be posted on my Tumblr soon. You can find me at: madisonr1129_**

**_Chapter 8 should be up in a week or so._**

**_:-)_**

**_-Madison_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_"First and Last"_**

**_Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content)._**

**_-Chapter 8-_**

**_~Tobias POV~_**

**_*February*_**

"Mornin' buddy." I say to Jack as he makes his way into the kitchen. I'm sitting at the kitchen table with my coffee and my laptop where I had been checking my email.

"Mornin' daddy." he says, coming to pull out the chair beside me to sit.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I ask, ruffling his hair with my hand as I stand up to fix him up something to eat.

"Frosty Flakes." he replies. I smile to myself at how he still says Frosty instead of Frosted.

"Want to play in the snow after you eat?" I ask, knowing he'll probably love that idea. And I always try to make it a point to share some time together doing fun things on my days off.

"Yeah!" he says with a grin. "I forgot it snowed!"

"Okay, well eat up while I call Zeke." I tell him as I set the bowl of cereal in front of him. I'll see if he and Steven can go down to the park with us, okay?"

"K." he says with a grin before shoveling in his first bite.

After calling Zeke and confirming our plans to hang out with the boys this afternoon, I take Jack upstairs and help him get dressed in warm clothes. Including his new snow pants, jacket, mittens and beanie.

It started out as a fairly warm winter here in Chicago. But the temperature dropped dramatically this past week, and yesterday we got our first couple inches of snow. Today when I woke up, we had a few more inches on top of that.

So I dress in my cold weather clothes as well, and we head out to my truck.

"Can we go see Tris at Sweet Pea's?" Jack asks from the back seat as we drive to the nearby park.

"Sorry kiddo, she's very busy today. She has a few wedding cakes to finish and deliver. But she'll be over for dinner, okay?"

He sighs, but agrees. He looks out the window with a small pout.

"You don't like that she's been extra busy this week, huh?" I ask, taking a glance at him in the rear view mirror.

"No." he says.

"Well, me neither. But it's not like she wants to be away from us, Jack. Tori's out of town for the week, so Tris has lots of extra work to do." I try to explain, because I don't want him to feel like she's neglecting him. I know how a young mind may not fully understand that we can get extra busy with work, especially since her business just continues to thrive. He shouldn't take it personally.

He sighs again. "I hope Tori comes back soon. I miss Tris. She hasn't come for dinner that much or stayed the night very much lately." he says.

"I know, I miss her too. But she's having to work extra early in the morning to make up for Tori's work." I say, thinking about how she's been going in at 3am lately so that she can get things done on time. "But her hours will go back to normal in a few days."

She's used to being an early-bird, but this has been different. That extra hour or two makes a big difference. And she has a further drive to and from the bakery, because she's been staying at her own place most of the week. Even though she'll still see us in the afternoon or evening, she often goes home to get an early night's sleep.

She admitted last night when we talked on the phone that it's because she feels bad when she's here those nights before her extra-long shifts. She think she bores me with her presence, because she usually ends up dozing off to sleep on the couch around 8 or 9 o'clock at night. And then on top of that, she thinks I'm probably not getting a good restful sleep because of her alarm clock going off at 2am and waking me up too.

So when she explained all this, I insisted she come over tonight, have dinner with us, and stay the night. I told her that what she said is partly true- I do wake up when she does in the morning. But I made it clear that I _like_ to get up with her. I enjoy making her morning coffee, and see her off with a kiss. But that once she's out the door, I'm usually able to go back upstairs and fall back asleep fairly quickly. Especially when I roll over to her side of the bed and inhale her scent on her pillow. So I was getting plenty of rest. And I then insisted that in no way, has she ever been a bore to me. She could fall asleep as soon as her butt hit the couch, and I wouldn't mind. Just having her presence in the house with Jack and me, made us happy.

Thankfully she agreed about the plans for tonight, and I was happy to hear the smile in her voice.

"I just wish she would stay over every night. I never want her to go home." he says, still sounding a bit whiney.

I think about asking him what he'd think about the prospect of her moving in with us, but decide against it.

I know he'd already be in love with that idea. As would I, obviously.  
>But I don't want him to be the one to mention it to her. I think it should come from me. And I don't want to get his hopes up in case she doesn't want to.<p>

I feel I know her well enough, to know that she truly would like the idea of moving in with us. But I know she might feel like it's a burden to us, and therefore second-guess the whole idea.

So I'll have to convince her that it would NOT be a burden. It would make us the two happiest guys possible. But I only want her to do it if she feels ready. I want her to want it too.

The question is...when should I bring it up?

By the time we get to the park, Jack is in good spirits again. He's excited to play with Steven, and is happy to see the usual grassy knoll, is currently covered in snow.

Just as I pull out the sled from the bed of the truck, Zeke and Steven pull up too.

We greet them, but it's not long before both our sons are bolting to go play in the field of snow.

"Jack, we're going to go sledding!" I hear Steven exclaim as he points to the area where there are already some other kids sledding down the small hill.

I was hoping to beat the small crowds since it's still early, but at least there aren't many of them. And they appear to be around Jack's age, so it shouldn't be too rowdy.

"So man, how's it going? You seem to be in an especially chipper mood." I ask Zeke as we follow behind them.

"Things are good. Really good actually." he replies, glancing over at me with a smile.

"For any particular reason? Or do I not want to know?" I ask my friend, not wanting to hear about his sex life. But thankfully he's not as open about that as his brother is.

"Oh shut up." he says with a laugh, but then continues to explain why he really is in such a good mood.

"Went to the doctor's with Shauna yesterday. The baby is healthy and is expected in just a couple of weeks. And on top of that, she insisted we just find out the sex."

"I thought you guys were going to wait and be surprised?"

"We were. But Shauna is in crazy nesting mode, getting the whole house ready and the nursery together with its final details. Which includes making a few last minute decisions that apparently had to coordinate with a color scheme. So she decided we should know if it's a boy or a girl."

"And?" I ask with a smile, happy for my good friend.

"Another boy." he says with a grin.

"That's great!" I say, clapping him on the back. "Just what the world needs- another Pedrad man." I tease and we both laugh.

We help the boys climb the top of the small hill and remind them how to hold onto the sled. I jog back down to the bottom of the hill, ready to wait and help them up after Zeke gives them a gentle push.

They have a blast, and I'm happy he and Steven get along so well.

After sledding for a while, Zeke and I stand off to the side while we watch them play with snowballs and attempt a sloppy looking snow man.

"So, how are you and Tris? I heard Shauna talking to her...sounds like Tris has been pretty overwhelmed at the bakery lately."

"Yeah, Tori's out of town helping to take care of a sick relative. So Tris has been working double-duty." I say, tucking my hands in my pockets to keep warm.

"Wow, that's got to suck." he replies.

"Yep. She's tough, she can handle it. But she shouldn't have to. I'm hoping she has luck meeting up with this other decorator she may want to hire on part-time. Even after Tori gets back, she could use the extra help."

"Well, at least she's got you guys. You're good for each other."

"I know. I was actually thinking about asking her to move in with me."

Now it's his turn to smile proudly at me with a pat on my back.

***Mid-March***

"Fuck, Tris-" I murmur against her neck as I continue to take her against the wall in the hallway.

When we had got back from running errands together, which including a nice little romantic lunch, we realized we still had another hour or so until Julia and her boyfriend Justin were to bring Jack back home. Justin had been taking care of his 6 year old nephew for a couple of days, so Julia decided to bring Jack over to play with him this afternoon.

So Tris and I made quick work of our limited time before they got here, and began discarding our clothes on our way to the bedroom with our lips locked. But we didn't even make it all the way there. By the time we reached the top of the stairs, we were both fully naked. And as I went to pull her up into my arms to carry her into the room, and her legs wrapped around my waist, it was like my cock knew exactly where to go, on its own accord. The moment she was off the ground and clinging to me, I was inside her.

We had both moaned in pleasure at the welcome intrusion, before continuing our hungry kisses and I backed her up against the nearest wall. Pushing her higher up with each deep thrust, causing her feet to dig into my butt as she holds on tight with her arms around my neck.

"T-Tobias..." she whimpers in pleasure, and I'm pushed even closer to my peak at the sound of her saying my name like that.

"You feel so good, love. I'm close." I say, nipping and kissing at her jaw, trying to hold back longer for her.

"You- have- the- best- cock- ever..." she pants in rhythm with my strokes.

Her words officially push me over the edge, and I coming hot and fast. At the same time, I feel her bite down on my shoulder just before I feel her walls clench around me, prolonging my intense orgasm.

Once we've caught our breath for a moment, I walk us to the master bathroom, still carrying her with me inside her. I reach and turn on the shower before finally setting her down on her feet.

We smile lazily at each other, both still basking in our post-sex high.

"I love you." I tell her.

"I love you too." she says, kissing me again.

Once the water is hot, I climb into the shower and pull her in with me.

I grab the soap first and begin scrubbing her from head to toe. Then she retrieves the soap and does the same to my body.

"Oh my gosh, I left a mark. Does it hurt? I'm so sorry." she says with concern once she notices the bite mark on my shoulder.

"No, I'm fine, trust me. You didn't hurt me."

"You sure?"

"Positive. I wear your mark with pride." I say with a grin and she playfully pinches my butt cheek.

"I like showering with you." she says as she leans her head back and closes her eyes so she can rinse the conditioner that I just lathered into her hair.

"If you move in with me, we could shower together all you want." I suggest with a hopeful tone. But I swallow nervously in hopes that she reacts well to the suggestion I just threw out there.

I've been stressing on how and when to bring it up, so decided to just finally go for it.

Her eyes shoot open and she looks at me as if she's not sure she heard me right.

"Did you just say-" she begins and I nod, smiling optimistically at her.

Her smile just grows from there, and I feel my nervousness recede.

"You really want me here? Like, permanently?" she asks, biting her bottom lip. But I can sense the excitement in her tone.

I instinctively lean in and pull her lip from her teeth with my own, and kiss her softly before pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"Jack and I would love it if you lived with us." I confirm.

"Well, I'd love that too." she says and I grin and kiss her again.

But when she releases my lips, she begins to clarify the plan. "My lease isn't up until May 1st though. And I have a hefty security deposit I really need back, so I can't really move in quite yet."

My smile falls a bit, but I nod in understanding.

"But if you're willing to wait a month and a half, that would work out well."

"Whenever you're ready." I assure her. And it's true. I'll never push her too fast. I want her to be sure in her decisions. So if she'd rather wait until her lease term is up, that's fine.

"And you have to let me pay half your rent."

I give her a look, insinuating how ridiculous and unnecessary that is.

"It's only fair if we split the cost of things Tobias." she pushes.

"Fine, we'll figure_ something_ out." I reluctantly agree. I may not be rich, but I'm covering rent and bills just fine with my salary. And even have a small savings fund growing for Jack's college tuition. So I don't really need her to help pay. I just want her here with us. But I know she'll be stubborn and insist.

She smiles at my agreement, and kisses me fiercely.

***Late March***

"Okay. But drive careful, it's still icy out there." I tell Tris as we go to part ways from the bakery.

I have to go pick up Jack from pre-school. But instead of Tris going with me, or going straight back to my house since she has a key, she says she has to run home to switch her laundry and get some more clothes to wear if she plans on staying at my house for the weekend.

"I will, don't worry." she replies, giving me a quick kiss and readjusting her shoulder bag. "I'll see you in an hour or two, okay?" she says.

"Okay." I kiss her again briefly, before we head in different directions.

When I arrive at his pre-school, Ms. Davidson pulls me aside to have a little chat with me.

"I just thought I should let you know, Jack got into a little scuffle today."

"He what?" I ask, surprised. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it occurred in his later years. But he doesn't even start Kindergarten until September!

"What happened?" I inquire, still confident that Jack wouldn't have done anything without being provoked.

"It seems that Isaac was making fun of Aubrey, and he stuck up for her. He told him to stop teasing her. But then Isaac tripped Aubrey and she fell and cried over her scraped knee. So Jack pushed Isaac to the ground, and told him he needed to learn to be nice." she explains, and I can see the hint of a proud smile on her face. "I of course do not encourage nor tolerate that kind of behavior, so they both got a talking to and a time-out. But... I appreciate that Jack had good intentions." she adds.

So on the way home, I talk to Jack about the incident. Underneath, I'm pretty damn proud of my kid. But I know I shouldn't be encouraging that behavior either. So we talk about the right way to handle those situations, and explain when it may or may not be acceptable to push or hit someone.

I guess it's a little early for me to tell him it's okay to hit someone back, if they hit him first. Having a feeling that's more likely to happen in junior high or high school, if anything. But oh well, now it's out there. Not all parents would agree with that, but whatever. I'll tell my boy to stick up for himself if I want to.

By the time we get home, he's ready for a snack. So as I peel a banana for him, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

"Hey Tris." I answer.

"T-Tobias..." she starts, and I can hear her voice trembling, despite her obviously trying to remain calm.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I ask quickly, becoming even more concerned when I hear her sniffle.

"M-My apartment was broken into while we were gone. I've been robbed."

"What?!" I exclaim in surprise, my heart practically pounding out of my chest now.

Jack looks at me with worry. He knows by my reaction that something's up.

"C'mon Jack, let's see if Johanna is home." I say grabbing his free hand that's not clutching his Spiderman toy.

"Did you call 911?" I ask Tris.

"Yeah, I called them right away. The police are here now." she says, taking a deep breath.

"Dad, why do I gotta go to Johanna's? What's wrong? Is Tris okay?" Jack asks, tugging on my shirt as I usher him out the door.

"It's a mess, and so many things are gone." I hear Tris say.

"I'm on my way baby, stay on the phone with me." I tell her before covering the mouth piece of the phone and talking to Jack.

"I just have to go pick up Tris. It's okay." I tell him, hoping to ease his concern.

I knock on Johanna's door and she must notice it sounds frantic, because she opens it quickly with a look of worry on her face.

"Tobia-" she begins, but I cut her off.

"Johanna, can you watch Jack for a little bit? It's urgent."

She nods immediately. "Of course sweetheart, take as long as you need." she says.

"Thank you. I'll call you in an hour to check in." I tell her.

"No problem." she says. She seems to sense that I'm withholding details due to Jack's presence. I don't want him to worry more.

"I'm going to go pick up Tris from her apartment, okay? Then I'll bring here to our house for dinner like we planned." I tell him, and in the phone I can hear Tris speaking to the police officers.

"Okay." he says.

I kiss the top of his head and give her a quick nod. "Thanks again." I tell her, then turn to rush back over to my place.

All within about a minute, I run inside my house and grab my two large duffle bags from the hall closet. Then I run to the laundry room, where I grab two laundry baskets. I dump the clothes that they were holding, right onto the floor. Then I toss the bags in the stacked baskets, before bolting for the door with them in hand.

As I start up my truck, I hear Tris talking to the police some more, but it sounds like they're wrapping things up.

"You there Tris?" I ask, trying to get her attention.

"Yeah, I'm here. Some of the Police Officers are getting ready to go. But one of them is staying here while we finish up the report." she says. She seems calmer now, but I can still tell she's upset.

"I'm already in my truck and on my way, I'll be there as soon as I can." I tell her.

"Okay, thank you."

"Of course baby. And stay with that Officer 'til I get there, okay?" I say.

"I will." she says. "And my next door neighbor Maria is here too."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. I love you." I tell her.

"I love you too."

After she hangs up, I toss my phone in my cup holder and place both hands on the wheel before checking my side view mirror and over my shoulder. I switch lanes and press firmer on the gas pedal.

I speed a bit more than I usually would down these streets, anxious to get to Tris. But being that I'm professionally trained to drive a speeding fire engine, I feel quite comfortable behind the wheel.

But still, I'm breathing heavy and probably sweating, despite the 40 degree weather.

My adrenaline is running with all that's happening and from moving so quickly to get to her. My mind racing as to what all had happened, what they took. What _could_ have happened….

The minutes seem to drag on for what feels like hours, but when it reality, I make the 30 minute drive in about 20.

Once I arrive, I knock on her door quickly, before letting myself in. Although that's not hard, as the front door has been kicked in and doesn't even close properly.

I see Tris immediately stand from the couch and rush over to me with her red rimmed eyes, proving she's obviously been crying.

I envelop her in my arms and hold her tightly against me.

"Oh, Tris..." I murmur into her hair.

After a few long moments, I pull back slightly and cradle her face with my hands. I look her over, trying to make sure she is in fact okay, and she offers me a sad smile when I see a small band-aid on her cheek bone.

"You're hurt, are you okay? I thought they robbed you while you were gone?" I ask, feeling myself getting all riled up again.

"I'm fine Tobias." she says, pressing her hands to my chest in an effort to reassure me and calm me.

"What happened?" I ask, still eager to know.

"When I got here and came up to my floor, I dropped my keys. When I bent down to grab them, these two guys rushed down the hall carrying garbage bags. They bumped in to me pretty harshly and knocked me into the wall, so I just got a little scuff on the cheek.

And then I know she can read my face to know exactly what I'm thinking.

Two guys running in the opposite direction of her apartment, with full garbage bags? _They_ were thieves.

"Yeah, we believe it was them. Especially with the description she gave, it's the same as another reported home burglary a few days ago at an apartment complex down the street." The Officer speaks up.

My jaw clenches and I fist my palms from where they hang at my sides.

Tris just barely missed them. By seconds really.  
>What would have happened if they had still been inside her apartment when she got home? I shudder, but don't let my mind travel to those possibilities.<p>

I desperately feel like punching a hole in the wall right now, but I know that won't help matters.

I feel Tris wrap her arms around my waist and lay her head on my chest.

I wrap my arms back around her and lean down to kiss her temple. I can't let my anger and frustration take over, when I should be comforting my girlfriend. She's a tough girl, but I'm sure this has been a traumatic experience for her. Not to mention half of her stuff is gone.

"It's going to be okay." I tell her.

"I know. I'm just glad you're here."

"I wish I could have made it sooner. I should have just come back here with you to begin with."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You had to pick up Jack. And there's no way we could have predicted this. Although I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised, this neighborhood is always known for its crime. Everybody tells me that." she says with a sigh.

"Please say you'll come home with me, for good." I ask, looking at her intently.

She looks back at me questioningly, but she doesn't seem all that hesitant.

"Fuck your lease, I'll give you the deposit money if they won't give it back to you. But I really think you should move in with me, like now. You can't stay here any longer." I say, desperately not wanting her to stay here one more night. And desperate to have her at home with me and Jack, where she and I both know she belongs. And where she's safe.

I kiss her softly, and stroke my thumb gently on her cheek.

"Okay." she whispers, tilting her head to kiss my thumb. "Thank you."

"Of course, love. I'm just glad you're okay." I say.

I then tuck her under my arm as I take a look around the place.

"It just all seems so surreal." she says.

Her small apartment seems to have been completely turned upside down. Things are obviously missing, like the TV and Wii, and her music and movie collection. But on top of that, things are knocked over, clothes are thrown everywhere, and there is broken glass on the floor that her neighbor Maria is currently helping to sweep up.

"It's a good thing you have renters insurance." the Officer says.

"Yeah, you're right. But it was pretty much the cheapest policy. It won't be much." she says.

Tris and I sit back down with the Officer as she continues to jot down everything that's missing. Her lap top, the bluetooth speaker Caleb got her for Christmas, clothes, shoes (including the pricey heels she'd borrowed from Christina), and many other things. They even took her espresso machine and KitchenAid mixer from the kitchen. Pretty much anything with some sort of value was taken.

Then Tris suddenly bolts up and goes to her night stand, as if just remembering to check something. She quickly pulls out the drawer, but the contents -or rather, the lack there of- causes her to burst into tears.

I rush to her side and envelop her in my arms again, comforting her as she lets the tears fall.

"What is it baby?" I ask gently, hoping to know what they took that means so much to her.

"My mother's necklace. I-I used to wear it. But then the chain broke, so I kept it in my side table there, and now i-it's gone." she sniffles and buries her face into my chest.

The thieves probably just took it like everything else, to pawn it off for cash. Little do they realize, or care, how meaningful something like that jewelry is to this girl. Something sentimental from her mother that she inherited after she passed away.

"My parents lived simply, they were minimalists. They barely had anything Tobias. I barely have anything of theirs. I can't believe they took that." she says again, and I can hear the rawness in her throat from crying. I just hold her tighter, because I feel helpless.

What can I do?

I decide then and there that I will check every pawn shop in Illinois if it means finding that necklace for her.

**-/-/-**

"That really sucked." she says, stepping through my front door wheeling a suit case, of which they thankfully _didn't_ steal from her hall closet.

I follow closely behind, carrying the laundry baskets that are now filled with her stuff.

"I know, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve to have that happen to you. But at least they have some leads on the bastards, so I'm sure they'll find them soon."

"I sure hope so." she replies with a sigh.

"Is Jack still with Johanna?" she asks once we've deposited the stuff in my room. _Our_ room.

"Yeah, I should probably go get him soon."

"Probably a good idea. I heard how frantic you were on the phone, I hope he wasn't too worried about me." she says, sounding concerned.

"I think he was concerned at first, but I tried assuring him everything was fine. Told him I was just picking you up."

"Okay."

"Here, let me draw you a bath and I'll grab the rest of your stuff from the truck before I pick up Jack."

"You don't have to do that all on your own, I can help."

"Tris, please, you've been through a lot today. Just let me do this." I plead, pushing off her jacket.

She doesn't stop me as I continue to slowly and carefully strip her of her clothes. I try to do it in a comforting and soothing way, as I'm hoping to relax her and wipe her mind of the stress.

Once she's undressed, I help her ease into the steaming warm bath tub and light the jar candle that's on the counter.

"You're too sweet to me." she says, leaning back against the edge of the porcelain tub and tilting her head to the side to look at me.

"I'm not sweet. I just love you. _A lot._" I say, bending down to press my lips gently to hers.

"I love you a lot too. More than I could ever express." she says, and I smile warmly at her.

"I'll be back in a little bit, okay? Just lay back and relax." I encourage her.

"Okay, thank you." she says and I nod at her with another small smile before heading out of the bathroom. I jog downstairs and continue to unload the truck of her stuff.

Maria and I had helped her pack up pretty much everything she had left besides her furniture, which we'll go back for some time soon.

After I've brought everything in, I go and pick up Jack, who is relieved to come back home and see Tris.

I briefly explain to him what had happened, but try not to make it sound too scary. I don't want him getting worried that it may happen to us too. So I just tell him someone stole her stuff while she was gone, so she's sad, and we should be gentle and take care of her right now. He agreed and seemed to be in his ever present 'helpful' mode as we prepare some soup and grilled cheese for dinner while she finishes soaking in the bath.

"Also Jack, she's...moving in with us. If that's okay with you." I tell him as we set up placemats and silverware at the coffee table in the living room.

"Really?!" he exclaims with happiness. It seems at that moment, he all but forgot the situation that had occurred, and can only focus on how excited he is about Tris living with us. Ever since he discovered that was a possibility in our future, he's been pushing for it.

"Yeah." I tell him with a big smile and he hugs me tight.

"Thank you daddy."

"Why don't you turn on a movie for us and I'll go get her, okay?" I ask him and he nods in agreement before going over to the blu-ray player.

I trek upstairs and find Tris in a soft white robe and she's towel drying her hair.

"You hungry?" I ask, coming up behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist. I kiss her cheek and neck, but try to keep it chaste.

"Sure." she says, leaning into my touch. "Let me just get some sweats on and I'll be down."

"Okay." I kiss hear forehead.

I myself change into some pajama pants and a t-shirt, then go back down to get our food served.

By the time I bring dinner out to the table, Tris is already sitting on the floor next to Jack talking with him about what happened.

I even see him point out her Band-Aid and he leans up and kisses it for her. The smile it brings her makes my heart swell. These two...they're it. They're my family. And I love it.

"I'm happy you moved in with me and my daddy." I hear Jack tell her as I sit beside them.

"Me too sweetheart." she says, kissing the top of his head. "There's no place I'd rather be." She looks to me and smiles.

"This looks good, thank you." she says, referring to the food before her.

"The grilled cheese is made with your sourdough." I tell her.

"And we're watching Big Hero Six." Jack tells us.

"Sounds good to me." she says, and shoots me another thankful smile before digging into our food.

That night in bed, we have some chamomile tea and I read to her for a while. We've been reading through the Tolkien books together, so figure this will be a good time to get a few chapters in.

I desperately hope she doesn't have nightmares, so I want her to be calm and at ease before she falls asleep. She told me she had nightmares after her parents passed away. And even though this whole ordeal is not nearly as significant, it's still something that could cause them to return.

Once I see her eyes getting tired, I set the book down and turn out the light, before laying down and holding her close.

But after a few minutes of lying together in silence, she speaks up.

"Thank you for being so great about all this." she says, looking up at me. "For taking such good care of me, and for loving me. I feel so safe with you."

"I'm not going anywhere." I tell her, running my hand soothingly up and down her back. "I'll take care of you, keep you safe, and love you- for as long as you'll allow it."

"I think I could allow it forever." she says with a meaningful smile. "As long as you let me do the same for you."

"I think that sounds like a good deal." I reply, and seal it with a kiss.

***May***

"Are you gonna catch cooties since you kiss Tris?" Jack asks and I hear Tris stifle a laugh beside me. We're all sitting around playing Monopoly Junior.

"No, I won't catch cooties from her." I reply with a chuckle. "Does it bother you that I kiss her sometimes?" I ask, worried that maybe it makes him uncomfortable. But he's never seemed uncomfortable by it before. He usually just giggles and looks the other way.

"No, it's okay. You're allowed to 'cause she's you're soulmate." he says as if it's obvious.

I see Tris' face turn to mine immediately after watching him with an amused smile. But now she looks up at me, as if intrigued as to where Jack heard this term before.

"What's this about soul-mates, huh?" she teases. I'm not sure if the question is directed at Jack, or at me. But he answers before I have a chance to.

"You're daddy's soul-mate." he states confidently, again, as if it's completely obvious.

"Where'd you hear that?" she prods playfully.

"Well..." he begins, looking down at his lap as he folds his hands back and forth as he thinks of how to word what he's going to say. Ever since he learned to talk and put together sentences, he's been one to think before he speaks. Always been a well-spoken kid.

"One time, I asked daddy if I'd ever have a mommy. Because all my friends have mommies." he says, looking up at her as he continues. Tris looks back at him sympathetically, and I watch as she hangs onto his every word. But I am too, as I'm wondering where exactly my son is going with this.  
>I remember this conversation that he refers to, which I had with him about a year ago, and it practically broke my heart. But I was thankful he seemed to understand somewhat, and accepted it with a smile. He had hugged me, telling me not to worry, because he knew I'd find my 'soulmate' one day.<p>

"He said that I might have a mommy one day, but that I didn't yet because my real mommy wasn't his _soulmate_. Not everybody has a mommy, and that's okay. Sometimes people have a mommy, and not a daddy, like my friend Luke. But Daddy said we didn't need one around, 'cause we're a team, and he loves me so much. And so does Auntie, and Gramma and Grampa." he sighs contentedly. "But he said when he finds his soulmate, we would both know. 'Cause me and him will love her lots and lots, and won't never want her to leave us. We'll all be a family." He smiles widely at Tris before laying his head on her shoulder. "And that's why I know you're daddy's soulmate." he adds.

I feel an emotional knot in my throat as I listen and watch my son speak all of this to the magnificent girl sitting beside us. It's like all of the feelings I've felt for her, he sees and feels too. I've always sensed how much he loves Tris, but a part of me was always curious how he would truly feel if down the road, Tris and I take the next step. The possibility of marriage, of her being Jack's mother, of possibly having more kids...it's all crossed my mind. I had a feeling he'd be all for it, but it's relieving and heartwarming to hear him speak this to her.

I look up at her to see a few tears silently falling down her cheeks as she wraps her arms around him in a big hug.

"You're amazing Jack. I love you." she says and I see him smile from where he rests his head on her shoulder.

"I love you too Tris." he says.

We're all quiet for a moment before he asks her a question. Which turns out to yet again, be something we're not expecting, but can't help but chuckle happily at.

"Auntie said you guys would get married one day. Do you have to marry daddy before I can call you mommy?"

**_-/-/-/-/-/_****_-/-/-/-/-_**

**_A/N-_**

_**There's Chapter 8! What'd you think?**_

_**I'd say we're about 2/3 of the way through this story.**_

_**Thank you so much for the amazing feedback so far, as well as follows and favorites! You're amazing!**_

_**And thank you again to my beta and dear friend Ractre1127!**_

**_The picture collage to go with this chapter will be posted on my Tumblr soon (probably sometime tonight or tomorrow). _****_You can find me at: madisonr1129_**

**_Chapter 9 should be up in a week or so._**

**_:-)_**

**_-Madison_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_"First and Last"_**

**_Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content)._**

**_-Chapter 9-_**

**_~Tris POV~_**

**_*June*_**

**_"First and Last"_**

**_Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content)._**

**_-Chapter 9-_**

**_~Tris POV~_**

**_*June*_**

"So, Justin asked you to accompany him to his work event?" I ask Julia as I push the cart through the aisles of the store.

Jack and I had stopped by to grab some food for the week, when we spotted her in the produce section. We of course decided we had to strategically and stealthily sneak up on her, causing her to throw her tangerine about a foot into the air from being startled. Which led him into the fit of giggles that therefore made me smile so much my cheeks hurt afterwards. But once she playfully scolded and then greeted us, we just went about our business. Continuing our shopping side by side, and catching up because we hadn't spoken for a couple days ago since she was out of town.

"Yeah, he seemed nervous. It was really cute."

"Mommy, can we get these too?" Jack asks, holding up a package of purple grapes after I've deposited a bag of apples into the cart.

I smile at the endearment, still not able to withhold my smile every time I hear him say it. I absolutely love this boy so much. I love him like he's my own. So to hear him call me that is pretty much the best thing ever.

"Sure." I reply, retrieving the bag from him. But then I catch Julia watching us with a smirk.

"So, this is a new development." she states.

I just bite my lip, still smiling, as I walk to the next bin of fruit.

"Yeah, it's turned out to be my new name this last week or so." I tell her, adding bananas to the cart next.

"Tobias told me." she admits, biting back another smirk, knowing how cute it is that he mentioned that to his sister. "It's just so sweet to hear Jack say it in person." she says happily, and I can tell she's supportive of this milestone of our relationship.

"It's a little surprising, to be honest. But definitely not unwelcome."

"I don't find it all that surprising. He's always been drawn to you_._ You guys have a connection." she says, twisting the cap off of a bottle of water before chugging some down. "And you're amazing with him." she adds after she's finished. Looking at me with a sincere smile.

"Thank you."

"He never did explain how the conversation went though, how it all started. Did he just call you that out of the blue?" she asks.

"He kind of- asked, in a way." I begin, chuckling as I recall the whole thing. "He went into this whole thing about soul mates and explained how I was Tobias'. Then he asked if we had to be married before he could call me mommy." I tell her.

"Aw- I have the cutest nephew ever, don't I?" she says.

He hears this and looks to his aunt, giving her a silly toothy smile.

"You do." I agree wholeheartedly.

"Let's pick out a cantaloupe, daddy likes them a lot." I tell Jack, and he helps me pick one out that's not bruised or too soft or too firm.

"And what exactly was your response to that question?" she pushes with a sly smile, obviously pushing for further details about the mention of marriage.

Thankfully she never pushes for the dirtier details like Christina does. But Julia's always encouraging and making comments about us, making her support of our relationship quite clear.

"Without even thinking about what Tobias might think, I immediately wanted to say _NO_, he doesn't have to wait for that." I tell her, recalling my first instincts after the words left Jack's mouth.

"But instead, I looked to Tobias for a reaction, and all he did was grin. Which I took as an approval on his end, so I told Jack he's more than welcome to call me that whenever he wants." I explain.

"And nothing else about marriage?" She prods quietly while Jack is distracted with the Batman water bottle he just found on the nearby display.

"No, but...we shared a look."

"A look?"

"Yeah, a look. Like...an unspoken agreement, that we were both excited about that being in our future" I try explaining.

I can still recall the hopeful grin Tobias gave me when his son had first asked that question. He seemed a bit surprised too, but more just proud and hopeful. I also remember how his smile somehow broadened even more after he heard my response, the way his eyes bore into me with adoration. It's like he was seeing right into my mind, reading all the thoughts and questions swarming around. For a moment, I almost felt as if he was asking me to marry him just with that single look. But still, we have yet to _actually_ talk about it.

"Well, I may or may not have been the one to plant the idea with Jack, of you two getting married." she admits.

"I know, he told us." I say with a chuckle.

"Hey, we all know it's coming one day. So just, please consider having me as one of your bridesmaids." she requests with a grin before pushing her own cart past me so that she can reach the tortilla chips.

**-/-/-**

By the time we reach the checkout lane, Jack helps me unload the cart and place the items on the conveyor belt while Julia pays for her groceries in front of us.

"Jack!" I hear from behind us and turn to see a young boy around Jack's age, with very blonde hair.

"Hi Nate!" Jack replies, and Nate begins showing him the bag of water balloons his mom is buying him.

He must know this boy from pre-school, although I haven't met him before. I look up to see who he's with, and they land on a tall blonde woman in her workout attire, her ponytail hair sprayed up just right.

"It seems our kids know each other." she tells me with a friendly smile, but I can tell she's still sizing me up, like some of the other more pretentious mothers from school.

Not all the moms are like that, but several are, and I can always feel their eyes on those of us who don't pick-up or drop-off our kids in fancy cars, or flaunt our designer purses and classy manicures. One actually scoffed when she heard I actually work at my own bakery, rather than hiring more people to do the work for me.

This woman standing before me, seems somewhere in between. Analyzing and probably judging, but at least she seems to be trying the friendly approach.

Plus, I can't help but smile at the fact that she said _our_ _kids_, as if assuming Jack is indeed my child. The smile must seem welcoming, as she smiles back and reaches her hand out.

"I'm Vanessa, Nate's mom." she introduces.

"I'm Tris... Jack's mom." I say for the first time out loud in public, with a proud smile on my face.

We continue our small chat as Julia finishes up her transaction.

"We should set up a play date for the boys sometime. We have a pool and a huge jungle gym at our house, I'm sure Jack would just love it." Vanessa suggests.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he'd enjoy that." I say politely, but not really finding that to sound like a fun idea. Even after just a couple minutes of talking with her, I feel like I'm more up to date on reality TV than I've ever been. But maybe it would be tolerable for Jack's sake.

So we exchange phone numbers and bid our goodbyes. Jack hops on the cart, holding onto the handle with me, as we wheel the bagged groceries towards the exit.

Julia, who had apparently parked only a few spots away from us, is just finishing unloading her own groceries when we get out to our car.

"So, Father's day is coming up, you doing anything?" she asks us.

"Yeah, we've got a surprise planned for him." I tell her, but my eyes go to sweet little Jack as he smiles at me covertly. He's excited about the secret idea we came up with for Tobias' Father's Day gift.

"Aw, that's sweet. But seriously, good luck with that." she chuckles and my eyebrows raise in amused question. "I think it's impossible to surprise Tobias, he's too intuitive and sneaky. I've tried several times, but to no avail."

"Well, I guess you're right." I say with chuckle after thinking about the time when we were younger and I tried to throw him a small surprise party, but he blew it not realizing it was supposed to be a surprise for him. "But I think he'll enjoy it either way."

"That's true." Julia agrees with a smile, then goes to give Jack a big bear hug.

"You still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I ask her, referring to the plans we had made when we spoke last.

"Yep, gotta bring Tobias his Father's Day gift from me too. It's tradition." she says with a silly smile.

"Ok, I'll see you then." I say with a laugh and hug her goodbye as well.

**-/-/-**

When she comes over the next evening, Tobias is home from work and he helps me make dinner. He's working on the artichokes as I make chicken with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce.

"Hello Hello" Julia says, letting herself in the front door and making her way into the kitchen.

"Hey Julia." I greet, looking over my shoulder with a smile as I turn the heat down a bit on the stove burner.

"Was the door unlocked?" Tobias asks as she sets a bottle of wine on the counter.

"Hi to you too Toby. And no, I have a key, remember?"

"So you just let yourself in?" he teases. "What if we had been...ya know." he chuckles.

"Ugh, ew. Please don't tell me you'd be doing that when you know I'd be here any minute. And with Jack playing video games in the other room, no less." Julia replies with a snicker.

"We wouldn't." I assure her with a laugh.

But Tobias just gives me a flirty smile and pretends he's going to pinch my butt with the metal tongs in his hand.

"You're gross." Julia tells her brother, reaching into the cabinet for a few wine glasses.

_If only she had heard some of the things he was whispering in my ear a few minutes ago._

"So, did Tris tell you she made mommy friends at the grocery store?" Julia asks as she pours a glass of white wine for herself, then another and hands it to me.

"You did?" he asks me.

"I wouldn't say _friends_." I clarify, looking pointedly at Julia, before looking to back to him. "Her name is Vanessa. Apparently her son Nate knows Jack from school, so we introduced ourselves and exchanged numbers. She wants to have a play-date, but I don't know. It was hard enough making small talk with her for 5 minutes."

I notice Julia make her way in to see Jack in the other room, and I look back to my cooking, but I feel Tobias' eyes still on me.

"She...seemed to kind of assume that I was Jack's mother. And I didn't correct her." I add shyly.

He scoots closer to me and tilts his head to get me to look at his face. When I finally look up at it him, he looks at me with a soft smile, a look that seems to be a cross between amusement and admiration.

"I'm glad to hear you didn't." he says, and I bite my bottom lip as I smile back at him.

Each day, I feel more and more a part of this little family that we've created. I've always felt comfortable and welcome around them, but especially since I moved in to their place, it feels even more natural. I'm truly feeling more and more like Jack's unofficial adoptive mother, and there has been more than one occasion where my mind drifted to thoughts of actually making that official.

Just as he bends down to kiss me softly, we hear Julia clear her throat.

"Save the make-out session for when I'm not here. And open your gift." she says handing Tobias a long flat box wrapped with a dark blue ribbon.

He chuckles at his sister and looks over the shape box.

"Hmm...I'm thinking... tie?" he guesses, but with a jovial smile.

"See, I told you, no surprises with this guy." Julia tells me with a roll of her eyes.

"I just know the type of presents you get me for Father's Day."

"You're _supposed_ to get 'dad-gifts', duh." she says, referring to her tradition.

She had confided to me yesterday, that since there was never a motherly person around to help Jack get his dad a Father's Day gift, she always made sure to get him something small, but it's always something cliche' and fatherly. Like a tie, or Old Spice after-shave, or a new tool or gadget of some sort. But even now that I'm in the picture, she couldn't get herself to break the habit.

They may tease each other, but I know how much she loves her brother, and has always been beyond proud of what a great dad he is. So I'm not surprised to hear any of this.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Tobias defends with another chuckle. Then he calls Jack in to help him open it.

As predicted, it's a tie.

But he smiles wide and hugs her with gratitude. "Thanks, sis."

**-/-/-**

That Sunday, I wake up first, just like any other day.

I get up and start the coffee maker and then check on Jack, only to find him sound asleep. By looking at the time, my guess is that he probably won't be up for another hour or two.

So I softly turn the lock on our bedroom door and tip toe back over to the bed, only to find Tobias stretching and yawning. But instead of sliding in on my side, I crawl up the bed slowly, right over top of him.

His eyes flutter open a little and he offers me a tired smile. "G'mornin'." he murmurs just as I straddle his hips and lean down to gently press my lips to his.

"Good morning handsome." I reply, pecking his lips again before shimmying down, pushing the covers off him along the way.

He lays before me in just his boxer briefs, and I smile at the sight of him and his sexy bed head hair.

My hands cradle his jaw and his usual short trimmed facial hair there. Then my eyes follow my hands as they slowly move down the defined muscles of his torso, running through the smattering of chest hair, then down his abs and to the V that leads beneath his shorts.

I take in the sight of the taught cotton material stretched over his enticing package, which appears large and firm and ready for me.

After mentally memorizing the picturesque view before me, I slide my fingers around the edges of the waistband, and tug the boxers down and off. I don't even realize how I lick my lips at the sight of him and waste no further time before taking him in my hand.

The gruff sound that omits from his mouth encourages me to move forward with my plan, so I bend down and look up at him as I take him in my mouth. He lets out a deep noise of pleasure that seems to vibrate through his body.

His jaw is slack and he's watching me intently as I lick up and down his length, moving my wet lips along the silky skin in a slow rhythm to start.

His eyes float shut every so often, but he keeps attempting to keep them open to watch me as I suck him. I use my hands too, to stroke along with my mouth, as well as fondle his sack and caress his thighs.

It's not long before he gives me the warning that he's close, and I happily continue until he's released every last drop.

His head drops back down against the pillow then, mouth agape.

"You're- I- That was" he starts, but can't seem to form a coherent sentence. "Fuck, Tris. You're amazing." he says, shaking his head as if in awe.

"Happy Father's Day." I tell him with a pleased smile.

I've always enjoyed giving him head, so it wasn't a burden to me. But I figured that might be a nice way to start his day. Thankfully, he seems to agree.

**-/-/-**

When we eventually make our way down for breakfast, I tell him to sit while I make him a big potato and egg scramble, and a side of bacon.

When Jack joins us, he has his gift hiding behind his back.

He hands it to Tobias who sits at the table, with a big grin on his face.

"Happy Father's Day Daddy." he grins back, handing over the big square box wrapped in batman wrapping paper.

Tobias looks slightly puzzled as he lifts the large item up and shakes it to listen to what's inside. But it just seems to confuse him more. He has a puzzled smirk as he looks at Jack, then at me, then at Jack again.

"No guessing, just open it!" Jack exclaims finally, laughing that his father is still trying to figure it out.

"He pulls off the ribbon, then the paper, to reveal a box full of packing peanuts. Nestled on top are tickets to the Cubs/Phillies game this afternoon.

His eyes go wide and he looks back up at us. "Are these for real?" he asks, surprised.

"Nope, those are fake tickets." I say sarcastically with a light laugh. Tobias just smiles bigger at me.

"We're going to a baseball game, daddy!" Jack explains to him. "at Wiggly field."

Tobias and I laugh at Jack's wording.

"Thank you bud, this is great!" he tells him, giving him a big hug and kiss on the forehead. "And you haven't been to a baseball game yet, this will be your first one." Tobias adds.

"Yep." Jack grins, then looks up at me as I serve them their plates of food. "Have you mommy?" he asks.

"Nope, this will be my first one too." I tell them.

We continue to chat about the plans of our afternoon, while enjoying our breakfast together.

When we go to clean up and Tobias picks up the box, he shakes it again.

"What's at the bottom making all that noise?" he asks, looking down at the white Styrofoam packing material that we filled the box with.

"Rocks." I say with a shrug.

He just laughs and shakes the box again.

"We had to deter you somehow." I add, poking his stomach with my finger while walking past him with our empty juice glasses.

After I deposit them in the sink, I turn to find him right in front of me.

"Thank you." he tells me, resting his hands on my hips as he kisses me.

"You're welcome." I say once we've pulled apart.

He bops me on the nose. "And you're cute. And I love you. And I can't wait to buy you your first real ballpark hot dog."

**-/-/-**

Once we arrive to the stadium, we follow the signs to our seats. They're not half bad, and I'm glad to see the grin on Tobias' face as he takes in the field before us. He inhales deeply, as if smelling the fresh cut grass.

"I haven't been to a game in years." he says, taking his seat on the other side of Jack, whose grin currently matches his dads. He seems just as excited about all of this.

"I'm glad we're having good weather today." I say, referring to the sunny skies and 70 degree temperature.

"Me too. Perfect Father's Day." he says, leaning over Jack to give me a quick kiss.

After the game begins, we settle in and watch intently. But when the first player hits an awesome fly ball, Jack and Tobias stand up to cheer with the other fans. I almost do too, but I'm stuck in a trance watching my boys.

Tobias looks so good in his Chicago Cubs T-Shirt and matching baseball hat, not to mention the grin that takes over his face as he high-fives his son. And then there's Jack in his matching hat and sunglasses that look like mini Ray bans.

They are both so freakin' adorable, and I can't seem to peel my eyes away from them as Tobias explains to Jack what happens when the batter runs to each of the bases towards home plate.

Jack has always seemed interested in baseball when Tobias watches it at home. But being at an actual game like this, seems to have boosted his interest, and he's asking all sorts of questions to learn all about it.

After a while, I offer to go get us some food.

Tobias looks up at me as I return with my arms full, and he stands immediately to help retrieve the delicious smelling food. He takes them off my hands, as well as the beer I got him. Then I take two bottles of water out of my bag and hand one to Jack.

"Thank you, babe." he says, taking a sip of his beer so it doesn't spill, before setting it in his cup holder.

"Of course." I reply, distributing out the food. A hot dog for each of us, and nachos to share.

Jack happily starts munching on the nachos and tells us how good they are.

I've grown up in Chicago, and I've always loved my hometown's well-known favorites; hot dogs and pizza. But I know Tobias is excited for me to try an authentic Chicago Dog here at Wrigley Field. I suppress a laugh when I see him watching with an eager smile as I bring it up to my mouth, waiting for me to take my first bite.

As I take the bite and chew, his eye brows go up, awaiting my response.

"This is _so_ good." I tell him before going in for my second bite.

He smiles bigger and holds his own hot dog up to mine to bump it, as if in 'cheers'.

"To another first I get to share with you." he says looking at me with delight, before leaning over his lap to inhale his own hot dog.

Later on, towards the end of the game, I'm looking off to my right towards 2nd base when I feel a tug on my braid. I look over expecting to find Jack or Tobias trying to get my attention. And I guess in a sense, I'm right. But I'm not expecting Tobias' lips to abruptly press to mine.

It's chaste enough for public, but it's full of love and makes me smile against his mouth.

"I love you." he whispers in my ear.

"I love you too." I say.

**-*September*-**

"Is Tobias getting sent out too?" Christina asks immediately after I answer her call.

"Yeah, he just called and told me he was on his way home to pack his bags real quick." I tell her.

"I can't believe they requested them all the way out from their station." she says.

"I know, but this fire is huge. He thinks they're pulling him, Will and Amar to go out on it, as well as a few people from several other nearby stations.

"Will says the last strike-team he went on, he was there for almost 2 weeks straight!"

"I hope they're not stuck out there that long." I say, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I pull the shots of espresso for the drink I'm making Tobias.

Today was his third day to work already, now he got called for this. So who knows how many days straight he'll have to work.

"Me either." she says, but then I hear the front door open.

"He's home. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay." she says, then hangs up, knowing I'm eager to get to Tobias. After all, he'll only be here for a few minutes.

I twist the lid shut on his thermos and drop it into the canvas bag that I've prepared on the counter.

"Hey." he says as he enters the kitchen.

"Hi." I reply, smiling at my handsome man. Damn he looks sexy in his uniform.

He comes over and envelops me in his arms, lifting me off the ground a few inches. He buries his face in my neck, causing my hair to curtain around him.

He holds me like that for a few moments, before setting me back down on my feet. But he doesn't let go, and I lay my head against his chest.

"Are you nervous?" I ask quietly.

Because I personally, am feeling a bit anxious about all of this. I mean, I know it's part of his job. This is what he does. And he's a great firefighter. But this is a _huge_ fire, and this is a giant crew they're pulling together to fight it. He'll basically be camping out there until they get it under control.

"No, not really. My adrenaline is pumping, but it's oddly a bit exhilarating. I like to be a part of this." he says, pulling back to look at me. He keeps one arm around my waist, as the other reaches up and he cradles my face with his large hand, rubbing his thumb along my cheek. "I don't want you to be nervous either."

"I know, it's just- well, it's a little scary." I admit. But how could I deny it? The man I love is about to go do a very dangerous job. And I will have limited contact with him.

"It'll be fine, please don't stress while I'm gone." he says, kissing my forehead, then the tip of my nose, before finally my lips. "I'm just gonna go be a badass and put out a really big fire with my buddies, then come home to my amazing family. Maybe we can go on a little fishing trip when I return." he tells me.

"Okay." I say with a chuckle. He's always good at making me smile, even in circumstances like this.

Then he leans in for another much deeper and longer kiss. He tilts his head and explores my mouth with his tongue, and I do the same, while clutching him and not wanting to let go. His lips feel so soft but insistent against mine, and I feel him let out a deep noise of appreciation when I tug on his hair.

After a couple minutes, we reluctantly pull away, knowing he's got limited time until he needs to head out.

"I guess I have to go pack my stuff up. Where's Jack?" he asks.

"In his room in his fort."

"Okay." he says with a nod, before turning towards the coat closet to get out his large heavy duty duffle bag. The dark green bag with EATON embroidered on it along with the CFD logo.

After filling it with everything he needs, he heads into Jack's room to say bye.

"I'll try to call you if I get cell phone reception, okay?" I hear him say as I make my way over and stand in the doorway.

Tobias is standing and holding Jack, who looks back at him with a curious look.

"How long will you be gone?" Jack asks.

"I don't know yet. It could just be a few days, or it could be longer. I'll come home as soon as I can though, okay?" Tobias tells him.

Jack nods and hugs his him, which Tobias returns eagerly. "You going to keep mommy company while I'm gone? Make sure she doesn't get lonely?" he asks.

"a'course." Jack replies, nodding again with his head resting on Tobias' shoulder.

He keeps him in his arms as I walk him to the front door. He gives Jack one more hug and kiss before setting him down, and giving me one more lingering hug and kiss as well.

"Here, a sandwich and some coffee for the ride there." I tell him, handing the canvas bag over that also has some granola bars and an apple.

"You're the best, thank you."

"Be safe." I tell him.

"I will, I promise." he says, picking up his duffle bag and keys.

I pick Jack up and rest him on my hip.

"I love you both, so much. I'll see you soon."

"We love you too." Jack and I both reply.

With a deep breath, he turns to leave. After pulling his truck out of the driveway, he slows down to wave and we wave back from the porch.

I continue standing there holding him until he drives out of site, and I almost feel my eyes water. But I don't want Jack to see me like that. It would only cause him to worry too. So I turn and make my way back inside.

"Alright, how about you help me switch the laundry real quick, then we'll go do something fun." I suggest.

"Okay!" he says excitedly, and runs towards the laundry room once his feet hit the ground.

**-/-/-**

10 days later, I find myself at the dining room table eating chinese food for dinner with Christina, Evelyn, Julia and Jack.

"Chopsticks are hard." Jack says with a sigh.

"You don't have to use them, there's a fork right next to your plate." Christina replies with a chuckle.

"I know, but I wanna." he says.

"They just take practice." I tell him, again showing him the easiest way to hold them.

"So, you said you talked to Tobias yesterday?" Evelyn asks before taking a bite of her egg roll.

"Yeah, it's only the second call we've been able to get from him. Thankfully this time he called just before Jack went to bed, so he was happy to be able to talk to him too."

"Daddy's putting out a _reeeeally_ big fire." Jack adds, gesturing with wide arms to emphasize the enormity.

We smile all him, and I admire how cute it is that he's so impressed and proud of his father, just like I am.

"I hope they can come back soon." Christina says.

"Did he say how they're doing on it?" Evelyn inquires. "Last I heard on the news it was only 50% contained, but that was a few days ago."

"Yeah, he said they've got it closer to 90% contained now. Thankfully the weather has been on their side lately. So hopefully they'll be heading home to us soon." I explain, taking a sip if my water. "Jack's been worried he might miss his birthday, but I don't think they'll keep him that long." I add, thinking about how Jack's birthday is still almost a week away.

But I look back down at my plate and mindlessly pole at my king pao chicken, thinking about how much I miss Tobias. 10 days is a long time….especially when you know the person you love and miss, is working their ass off in harsh conditions. I'm sure he's exhausted, and is just as ready to come home as we are ready to have him here.

We spend the rest of the dinner chatting and Jack goes on about what he wants his Halloween costume to be, who he wants to invite to his birthday party, and how excited he is to start kindergarten.

Us girls end up out on the back porch to chat even more, after Jack goes to sleep.

They don't end up leaving until close to 10 o'clock, but I don't feel tired enough to go to sleep right away. So I go upstairs and decide to get in bed and read for a while. But I end up falling asleep after only a couple of chapters.

What feels like hours later, I feel a rustling in the bed beside me. I assume it's Jack and instinctively reach out to run my hands through his hair soothingly as he lays beside me. I know it always helps him fall asleep.

But in my mostly dormant state, it takes me a moment to realize the hair I'm feeling is wet. I guess I hadn't realized the dip in the bed was from a much larger human being, such as Tobias.

As I run my fingers through his hair again, I let my eyes open slowly and take in the depths of his intense deep blue ones gazing back at me. He lays on his side facing me with a smile. And although he seems to have recently showered, he still smells a bit like smoke.

My hand stills, and I just hold it there on the side of his head. "It's you." I say groggily, my smile growing.

"It's me." he confirms with a soft chuckle. "I didn't mean to wake you." he adds.

"I'm glad you did." I say, becoming a bit more awake by the moment, too eager to acknowledge that he's home.

"Just because I'm not Jack, doesn't mean you have to stop that." he says, nudging my hand with his head so I'll continue with my fingers on his scalp.

I smile and pick up where I left off stroking his hair.

"I missed you." I say, feeling overjoyed that he's home and laying here with me.

"I missed you too. I'm so happy to be home." he says, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer to him for a kiss.

"What time is it? How long have you been here?" I ask, snuggling into his chest.

"It's almost 12:30, I just got home about 15 minutes ago. I came in quietly and kissed you, but you looked too peaceful to wake up. So I took a quick shower, and went and laid with Jack for a couple minutes."

"He's going to be so excited to wake up and see you." I tell him between the kisses he's planting lazily on my lips every so often.

He smiles and kisses me again.

"I like when you wear my shirts to bed." he says with a smirk, pointing out the black t-shirt of his that I'm wearing over my flannel shorts.

"I like that they smell like you." I say.

"As good as you look in it...I'd prefer to take it off." he says.

"Mmhmm." I murmur, kissing the hollow of his throat.

It's not long before he removes it, along with the rest of our clothes. Then he shows me just how much he missed me, as he makes love to me.

As proud as I am to have him be an amazing fire fighter, and I'm glad he enjoys his profession, I'm sure glad to have him home.

**_-/-/-/-/-/-_**

**_A/N-_**

_**Sorry I didn't get this posted over the weekend as I had hoped.**_

_**Also, I apologize if there are inaccuracies with this chapter. I know here on the west coast (U.S.), it's not uncommon for fire fighters to be called out -or volunteer- to fight a large wild land fire for days, or even weeks at a time (aka, a Strike Team). And they often have to camp or stay in local hotels in or near their base camp. (Especially for those who have to travel from further away). But I'm unfamiliar with the east coast and how Illinois does things. So forgive me if it's inaccurate or unrealistic. It's a good thing this is just **__**my made-up fanfic story!  
><strong>__**:-)**_

**_Thank you SO much for all the feedback and wonderful reviews on that last chapter._**

_**And as always, thank you again to my beta/friend Ractre1127!**_

**_The picture collage to go with this chapter will be posted on my Tumblr soon. You can find me at: madisonr1129_**

**_I have something coming up this week, so won't have as much time to write. Which means Chapter 10 may be a bit shorter. But I will try to get it posted around my usual time (on or around the weekend). _**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_-Madison_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_"First and Last"_**

**_Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content)._**

**_-Chapter 10-_**

**_~Tobias POV~_**

**_*October*_**

The skies are partly cloudy, but sunny overall. It's a beautiful day, and I'm excited that we've both got the day off to take Jack to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween.

The ridiculous B52's song "Rock Lobster" comes on, and I immediately think about how when this song came on just over a week ago, and Tris danced around all silly with Jack in her arms, causing them to both collapse on the living room floor in a fit of giggles.

I think it was then, that I decided I really need to just bring my idea up to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already considered it herself. But it hasn't really come up. So I've just been contemplating how and when to throw the idea out there.

"You okay?" Tris asks me from the passenger seat of the car.

"Yeah, why?" I look over at her with a smile.

"You just looked really deep in thought."

"Yeah, I guess I was..." I say, and think about just voicing my thoughts, here and now.

As I gather my words, she doesn't push me to continue. Just waits patiently, looking out the front windshield as we head down the highway.

I glance in the rear view mirror to find Jack fast asleep in his booster seat, napping with a hot wheels car in hand.

I don't want to disturb him, nor do I want him to necessarily hear this conversation quite yet. At least not until I've confirmed her answer. So I keep my voice low.

"Have you ever considered, ya know, making it official with him?" I ask tentatively, nodding my head back to emphasize I'm speaking of Jack.

I feel her look over at me, and I pull my eyes from the road momentarily to glance at her and hopefully read her expression.

She's looks curious, obviously trying to deduce what I mean specifically. But she has a big smile on her face, so I think she knows.

"What exactly do you mean by, _official_?"

"Adoption." I say, still keeping my voice down while continuing my explanation before she has a chance to respond yet. "Jack loves you, like he's truly your son. He loves that you've taken on the role as his mother, and I obviously feel the same. I can't imagine a better person parenting him with me. You're loving and caring and fun with him, but you're also responsible, and can be a disciplinary when needed. You're amazing with him, Tris. And, well, I've been meaning to ask how you feel about the idea of adopting him, to legally be your child too."

"You want me to legally adopt Jack as my son?" she asks, as if double-checking. But there's no sense of apprehension in her voice. And I can tell she's trying to hold back a grin.

"Yeah, if that's something you're interested in."

"Of course I'm interested." she replies, reaching over to take my hand that's resting on the gear shift.

"Not only would it make it official, which would be amazing in itself, but also...if anything were to happen to me, then he'd go to you. You'd be his legal guardian. Which I know he and I would both prefer." I say, specifically thinking about how that crossed my mind when I was on that big fire last month.

"Well, nothing's going to happen to you. But I see what you mean."

"So, will you think about it?" I ask, putting the car in park once we've arrived at the pumpkin patch.

"I've already thought about it, for a while actually. I had a feeling you might bring it up eventually. Or at least I hoped you would. I didn't want to bring it up myself and make you feel pressured, in case you thought that was taking it too far."

"Really?" I ask, a big grin on my face now too.

"If you're serious, and are 100% confident in your decision to offer this to me, then I'm all for it. I love what we have as a family, and I truly love him like he's my own. It would make me _so_ happy to legally adopt him, and make it official."

With the smile still on my face, I lean in and kiss her.

"Maybe we can make other things official in the near future too." I suggest, bringing her left hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles, but lingering on her ring finger as I gaze into her beautiful eyes.

_Fuck, I hope that isn't pushing my luck. Please be okay with what I just said._

"You already know what I'll say to that too." she says with a meaningful smile, confirming she knows what I'm referring to.

I mentally pump my hand in the air in celebration and triumph.

***November***

"Hey Toby, sorry I'm late. My editor wouldn't stop telling me about her recent trip to Australia." Julia says as she makes her way into the shop and over to me.

"No problem. Jack and I have been narrowing it down." I tell her.

"I told you that you'd find something here you like. I've practically already picked out my own engagement ring here." she tells me, before kissing Jack on the cheek and greeting him.

"Are you actually thinking about getting engaged?" I ask her with a chuckle.

"_No_, Justin hasn't popped the question yet." she says, elbowing me playfully.

"_Yet_." I mumble, knowing how it'll only be a matter of time. He's obviously smitten with her. And my sister is obviously happy. So I know she'll say yes.

"Don't you go getting my hopes up. Plus, this shopping trip is about _your_ engagement, not mine."

"Well, like I said, I think we've narrowed it down. It's between these two." I tell her, pointing out two white gold diamond engagement rings displayed near each other.

Both are similar, with round diamond in the middle. But one is a solid band, and the other has small diamonds running along the thin band. They just caught my eye immediately. Simple, yet beautiful and a good size. At least I hope.

"Can I see again daddy?" Jack asks. So I pick him back up and let him look down at the two he and I had picked out just before my sister got here.

"Wow, Tobias. Those are amazing." Julia says, zoning in on them.

"Do you think Tris will like them? I really don't know what she'd prefer, she's never really mentioned her taste with this kind of stuff."

"No, it's never really come up in conversation with us. But I do know she prefers white gold over yellow gold, so you're already on the right track. But I think you picked out two really good ones here."

"I feel like they're beautiful and noticeable, without being obnoxious or completely out of my price range." I say, chuckling slightly, but it's a little forced. A part of me really wishes I could look at the rings in the display case behind me that are $6,000 or higher. She deserves the best. But at least I know she's not the type of girl to care about the price tag, or the huge flashy rings just to make a statement.

"I think she'll love either one. Honestly, you guys have great taste."

"Yeah daddy, mommy will like both." Jack agrees.

"Have you decided to take a look at any?" The woman that greeted me earlier asks from behind the counter with a friendly smile.

"Yes, I'd like to see these two here." I request, pointing them out.

"Ah, yes. Very good choices. These are both handmade by a local renowned artist and jeweler, they both have a 1 carat center diamond, and are absolutely stunning." she says, pulling them out and handing them to us to see up close.

After seeing them both, especially under this lighting, I'm automatically leaning towards the one with more diamonds, but still feeling somewhat indecisive.

I take a breath and look to Jack. "What do you think buddy? Which one?" I ask him.

"This one's extra pretty." Jack says, pointing to the one I'm leaning towards too.

It's pricey, but seems worth it. I'm just nervous. This is potentially the ring she'll wear forever. The one she'll wear proudly as my wife...assuming she says yes.

"Do you think she'll like this one Jules?"

"Absolutely."

I look back down at it and try to imagine it on her long beautiful finger. But then I remind myself that _any_ ring would look good on her hand.

"Go with your gut feeling." Julia adds in encouragement.

"What's your return policy?" I ask the woman, knowing this is the one I wish to buy. But feeling curious about our options in case she wants something else.

"No refunds. But you can get store credit towards something else, if you bring it back within 10 days." the woman explains.

"Okay, I'll take this one." I say with a smile.

**-/-/-**

"So, you have to keep this ring a secret for now." I tell Jack as we drive back home. "I'm going to surprise mommy with it this weekend, okay?" I remind him.

"I know." he says.

"Are you excited to ask her?" he asks after a few minutes.

I'm a bit surprised by his question, as it seems like such a mature thing for a Kindergartner to ask.

"Yes, I'm very excited." I say, looking over my shoulder at him with a big smile as we sit at a red light. "Are you excited too?"

"Yeah. Cause she'll be me my mommy forever. And she'll be your hubsand."

I smile at how he says hubsand instead of husband, and just like last time he said it, I can't get myself to correct him. It's just too cute.

Then I smile even wider when I think about what he just said.

I recently explained what this whole marriage proposal thing was, what that means for us as a family. And got his opinion on Tris adopting him officially.

As expected, he was all for it. And maybe almost as excited as I am.

***The following week, Saturday night***

"That movie was great." Tris says, exiting the theater with me hand in hand.

"Yeah, I really liked the ending."

"I'm so glad you got weekends off, this is so nice." she says, squeezing my hand.

"Me too." I reply, kissing her temple. But I try not to linger there, in case she'll notice my heart beat that's picking up, or my breathing that I'm attempting to keep under control. My nerves are settling in, as well as the excitement. I'm quite antsy overall.

Every other week, my mom has Jack stay over at their house for a sleepover, so that Tris and I can have date night, and the house to ourselves.

So I've just been treating tonight like any other date night, going to one of our usual eateries for dinner, but suggesting one of the nicer ones. Then we went to the movies. Again, similar to one our usual date nights.

But what Tris doesn't know, is that I have something else planned for tonight.

By the time we reach the car and buckle in, she's talking about another movie we should see next time. I go along, happily talking with my girl. But I'm also happy the conversation seems to be keeping her distracted from where we're driving.

It takes her almost 10 minutes to realize we're not driving in the direction of our home.

"Wait- where are we going?" she asks finally, giving me a curious look.

"Just thought we could use some more fresh air."

"All the way out here?" she chuckles and looks at me again for an explanation, but doesn't complain about the detour.

"Let's get away from the city and see some stars." I suggest.

She nods and keeps quiet after that, but has a smile on her face. Which seems to grow even bigger as we pull up to Camp Dauntless.

"Taking me back to summer camp, huh?" she asks with a smirk as we approach the front gate, which is closed and locked since they're only here in spring and summer.

"You know they're closed, right?"

"I'll be right back." I say, putting my truck in park and hopping out to the front of the truck where my headlights are shining on the lock for light.

I retrieve the key from my pocket and unlock the gate, pushing it open so that we can drive through.

I remain quiet as I climb back in and pull through. I get out again to re-close the gate, before actually driving up the long driveway and towards the destination I have in mind.

"You have a key? To our childhood summer camp?"

"Yeah well, Larry the groundskeeper still frequents my gym, and he may have let me borrow the keys for the evening."

When I finally park and turn off the truck, leaving us in practically complete darkness, I turn to her.

"Would you like to join me at our special meeting place? I brought some blankets and a camping lantern." I ask, trying with all my might to remain calm and collected.

"Are you sure we're allowed? It's past curfew after all." she teases.

But she's still smirking as she opens her door, obviously finding this to be a fun idea.

After grabbing everything, we walk hand in hand across the grassy area and to the dock by the lake.

The same place she and I used to sneak out and meet at after the rest of the campers went to bed.

I set one blanket down to sit on, which she does. I sit next to her and then put a blanket around us as well.

I'm thankful for the good weather, or this wouldn't be possible. But it's still quite cold out, so I'm glad I came prepared.

"This place hasn't changed much." she says, referring to the camp and this dock.

"I know, it's kind of nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I wonder if Jack will want to go here when he's old enough. I'm sure he'd love it."

"I bet he would. I've told him about it before, and he says he's already ready to go." I say with a chuckle.

I'm thankful we're talking as usual, that it's easy and comfortable. It seems to be easing my nerves.

It's not that I have any doubts that she loves me, or that she wants to be with me. But marriage is a big step. And it's a step that she's been afraid of in her past. I remember she said that after breaking up with Eric, she decided she was no good at relationships, and would probably never get married.

But I like to think that's just how she felt because she wasn't with the right guy.

Plus, she's hinted about her answer to this when it's vaguely come up before. Like when she and I first talked about adopting Jack last month.

She is currently snuggled up against me, looking out at the steady water, her head resting on my shoulder. I reach over and play with her left hand, just casually stroking it softly with my thumb at first. She doesn't think much of it, as it's a common thing for me to do.

But then I subtly begin to slip the ring onto her ring finger.

It takes her a moment to realize what I've done, and I'm a bit proud of myself for being so subtle about it.

"W-What's this?" she asks, her voice faltering, obviously thick with emotion since she already seems to know the answer to her own question.

She looks down at her ring in awe, then back up to me, waiting for me to speak.

"Tris, I love you so much." I begin, somewhat mentally referring to the speech I had thought up. I see her eyes sparkle and her mouth quirks up as she bites her lip. She seems to know where this is going, but let's me continue.

"I have loved you since we were little. But over the years, my love has grown for you even more. And this past year has only proven even more to me, that you and I are meant for each other. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I know Jack is too."

I pause briefly and kiss the happy tear that rolls down her cheek. "To be someone's first love may be great, but to be their last is beyond perfect." By now I'm cradling her cheek with my hand and she seems to have moved closer, practically in my lap now.

"I want you to be my wife, I want to raise a family with you, and I want grow old with you." I tell her, bringing her hand and the finger with the ring, up to my lips. I kiss it and then I finally officially ask her. Thankfully it seems to be easier to do than I thought it would.

"Tris Prior, will you marry me?"

"Yes. Of course, yes." she says without hesitation, throwing her arms around my neck and pressing her lips firmly against mine.

"I love you so much." she mumbles against my lips, before tilting her head and slipping her tongue into my mouth.

When we finally pull away for air, we're resting out foreheads together. I'm grinning like crazy, and as I try to catch my breath, I still can't stop peppering her with kisses. This moment is so amazing and surreal. I just asked her to marry me, and she said yes without question.

I am beyond thrilled right now.

We continue to kiss and hold each other, before her hand reaches just beneath my shirt and makes contact with the bare skin of my torso.

"I need you." She pants.

"I don't know if I can make it all the way home." I say, lifting my hips slightly so she can feel the effect she has on me and I begin kissing her neck.

The moan that comes from her as I suck on that place behind her ear, makes me buck my hips again and her grip tightens against my scalp where her fingers are tangled in my hair.

"How about you just take me to the truck?" she suggests breathlessly.

I hesitate for a moment, apprehension flashing through me, as what she's suggesting seems a bit...out in the open. But what was I thinking when I said I didn't think I could wait? And am I really going to consider turning down that request?

Before I know it, I've already stood and carried her (along with the blankets and lantern) with me as I make my way back to where we parked. She's giggling as I halt abruptly beside the vehicle.

"Bed of the truck? Or cab?" I ask, pushing her up against the door as I kiss her neck again, my need for her growing more by the second.

"We're the only ones here?" she asks. Even though that seems pretty obvious, I don't blame her for wanting confirmation.

"Yeah."

"Okay, the bed. Lay the blankets down." she instructs, and I swear I get even harder for her.

I don't verbally respond, I just make my way to the back and reluctantly remove a hand from her perfect behind, to reach for the tailgate. I lay it down, before sitting her on it. Then I lay out the blankets and climb up.

She immediately pushes me down onto my back and kisses me deeply again.

I palm her breast through her sweater, and let out a mumble of a moan as she grinds her hips against me. She drives me wild with want.

"I love you." I manage to get out, feeling so much love and adoration for her.

"And I love you, _fiancé_." she says, emphasizing the last word with a grin as she sits up and looks at me.

The light of the lantern just barely makes it possible to see her sweet expression, and those big beautiful eyes.

"Now are you going to let me have my way with you?" she asks, reaching for my belt.

"I'm all yours baby." I reply with a smile, before kissing her again.

With a bit of my help, we manage to get my pants down to finally let me spring free. The relief from the barrier of the denim is extremely satisfying. I don't even seem to sense how cold it is out, as I'm too worked up for her. But I realize Tris may get cold if we proceed.

"Are you sure you won't get cold? You want this blanket around you instead?" I pull away for a moment to ask.

"I'll be fine. My sweater is huge, it's like a dress. Plus, I have a feeling we'll be quick." she says, standing and kicking off her boots. She then peels down her leggings. "We can always pick back up at home." she adds with a jovial smile.

I reach my arms up and wrap my fingers around the elastic of her panties, raking my eyes over her first. I admire the sexy white thong, before I pull it down her long slender legs and set it aside with her discarded leggings.

But we leave on her oversized sweater, as well as her matching knee high knit socks.

She is unbelievably sexy, and the anticipation of what were about to do, makes me feel like I'm a teenager again. Not that I ever did this as a teenager. But I sure as hell thought about it.

My hands trail up her legs and then up her thighs, as she slowly begins to straddle my lap again.

She reaches and strokes me twice before guiding the head towards her entrance. She eases down on me slowly, throwing her head back in pleasure once I'm in all the way.

The sight of her like this, almost gets me off right then and there.

I still can't believe she's mine. This incredible girl is going to be _my_ wife.

Our hands interlock as she rides me.

The bed of the truck digs into my back a bit, but I could care less. This is too hot and feels too damn good. The depth at which she takes me, makes us both moan into each other's mouths as we kiss.

Her rhythm is slow at first, but it turns frantic as she quickly nears her own orgasm.

So I reach my arms around her and bury my face into her neck as I hold her close and move my hips, thrusting into her at a more vigorous pace, which seems to undo her almost immediately.

I'm closely behind, but the sounds of her moans and chanting my name, along with the feeling of her fluttering around me, just seems to heighten the sensations when I come inside her, letting out a wail of a grunt as I do.

After we ride it out as long as possible, we lay like that for a few moments, before she slides next to me and snuggles up and my arm goes around her to hold her close. I wrap the side of the blanket up around us to cover the lower and more exposed half of our bodies, and we lay contentedly together in the fresh air.

We both stare up lazily at the sky, and it's then that I realize how many stars are actually visible tonight. Even more than were used to seeing out here, as all the camp buildings and cabin lights are off, leaving the camp pitch black, except for our little dimmed lantern.

But as beautiful as the night sky is, I'd rather look at her.

I look at her profile, the serene smile taking over her face, the wonderment in her eyes, the feminine slope of her nose and lips.

She's gorgeous.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asks, still taking in the enormity of the night sky and its millions of stars.

"Mmhmm." I mumble in agreement, but she doesn't realize my eyes are still on her instead.

We lay there for a short while, whispering loving things to each other every so often.

But we eventually help each other re-dress the rest of the way, then make our way to the front of the truck.

We're full of smiles and meaningful looks as we drive home, and every so often she looks down and admires her ring.

"It's so beautiful, Tobias." she says, and I can hear the sincerity in her voice.

"I'm glad you like it. But I made sure that it was exchangeable if you wanted to consider a different one."

"Don't be silly. I _love_ it. You should be more confident in how well you know me."

"Yeah, it caught my eye almost immediately when I went in the store." I say, remembering that day. "But Jack helped me pick it out. And Julia agreed with our decision, so I went for it."

Her smile grows and she looks back down at it as if with even more appreciation.

"It's perfect." she says, twining my hand with hers. "Thank you."

"I'm definitely the one that should be thanking you." I tell her.

I smile at her, so grateful that she likes it, and even more grateful that she said yes.

When we get home, we pop open a bottle of champagne to have our own little celebration.

We find ourselves on the couch near the fireplace, sipping away as we talk and kiss.

"I can't believe we did that." she says with a small laugh, obviously reminiscing of the very outdoorsy sex we had.

"I know, what a night." I say, grinning at her.

"That's an understatement."

"First, we have an awesome date night in general." I say, taking her hand in mine. "Then you made me the happiest guy in the world." I say, kissing her finger with the engagement ring again. "And then you made one of my teenage fantasies come true." I say, leaning over to kiss the corner of her mouth.

"One of your teenage fantasies was having sex at camp? Or in the bed of a truck?" she inquires with a laugh.

"Both." I say, still grinning, unashamed of my admission. Especially now with a bit of alcohol coursing through me. "And both of those fantasies always involved _you_."

"Me?" she asks, sounding slightly surprised.

"Yeah of course. What, haven't you had any fantasies about me? Daydreams? Wet dreams?" I prod playfully. "At least one?" I ask, and I can't help the hopefulness in my tone.

"I don't know..." she says with another small laugh, but I can sense her shyness coming through.

"Yes you do." I goad, squeezing gently on the ticklish spot on her leg just above her knee.

She laughs and pushes my hand off, but then seems coy as she begins to speak up.

"I did kind of have a wet dream a few weeks ago, one of the nights you were at work." she says.

"Yeah?" I reply, encouraging her to continue.

"Yeah."

"Well, tell me more." I say anxiously.

She playfully rolls her eyes, but begins to explain anyway.

"I think it was influenced by the newspaper article I had read before falling asleep, the one about the big fire you went on. And I missed you, I couldn't stop thinking about you..." she says, pausing to sip her champagne. "And then the next thing I know, I'm dreaming about you coming home from work all dirtied up in your firefighter turnouts. Well, just the pants and the suspenders. You were shirtless." she says with a smile, seemingly amused with herself.

I can't wipe the smile off my face, even though I notice a slight blush on her cheeks. She and I are very open with each other, but she still often blushes when talking about sex.

"And then what? Did it have a happy ending?"

"I think you made some cheesy innuendo about your fire hose or fire pole or something, before you fucked me on the kitchen counter, still wearing your boots, and pants around your ankles. I woke up just as we came together, and then there I was awake, and actually getting off." she admits.

Her words throw me by surprise, but I don't suppress the grin that takes over my face.

Fuck, the thought of that is so damn hot.

"I could make that happen." I say, and it comes out lower and huskier that I intended.

She chuckles, but her breath hitches when she brushes against the erection in my pants.

"Okay, maybe one day. But for now, I just want you to take me to our bedroom. And I want us both very _naked_." she replies, biting her lip.

"Sure thing, future Mrs. Eaton." I reply, before happily doing just as she asked.

**-/-/-/-/-/-**

**A/N-**

**So, they're engaged! Big surprise huh? Pretty predictable, I know. But can you blame them? They're happily in love and want to make things official!**

** So now, question is- have you read enough about weddings in my other stories to where I should skip that bit in this story? And just time skip past it? Or would you like a wedding chapter? L****et me know what you think!**

**As always, thank you for reading and reviewing! **

**And a special thank you to Ractre1127- you're so very appreciated.**

**Chapter 11 should be up in about a week, maybe sooner.**

**The picture collage for chapter 10 will be up on my Tumblr soon too (probably tonight or tomorrow). You can find me on Tumblr at: madisonr1129**

**:-)**


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